Shakespearean Interference
by MySarcasticGreenCrayon
Summary: AU. Suze and Jesse are in their senior year of high school. Suze is completely infatuated with him and Jesse doesn't know how to approach her. So Shakespeare's play steps in to help give them a push. COMPLETE! Read, review, and then have fun!
1. Don't Stress Yet

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with the Mediator Series because that honor is exclusively Meg Cabot's. I also don't own anything by William Shakespeare that happens to appear in the chapters. I do, however, own the plot. Yay for me. ;) **

**A/N: This chapter is in Suze's point of view. Look to my author's notes for the point of view in each chapter. (:**

I couldn't remember when I first started thinking about my senior year of high school. I think it was probably when I was in the fifth grade and was faced with the scary thought of middle school and the changes that would bring, but then again I was always a precocious child. But now as I sat in homeroom at the beginning of my last semester in high school, I was more than a little scared of what was going to happen next. While I had always been precocious, when it came to having to speak in front of class for a project or whatever, I had never been…overly outgoing (and that's a nice way to put it). I was comfortable, shall we say, in my niche. My best friends, CeeCee and Gina, liked to say that I was too comfortable. But I had gotten very adept at ignoring them.

I had been friends with Cee and Gina since my mother had married Andy Ackerman and we had moved from New York to Carmel, California. I had just been getting ready to start sixth grade. I had immediately become friends with Gina and she had introduced me to her friend CeeCee. We proceeded to become the Three Musketeers with Gina as our ring-leader. We never really got into any trouble because Cee always got us out of scrapes. Also, we had the added advantage of me being Jake Ackerman's little stepsister. Brad Ackerman was in our year and he made sure no one messed with us. And I, in turn, helped to make sure no one picked on David Ackerman because of his genius tendencies. I really was lucky with this family I had gotten through marriage.

I finally tuned back into Ms. Clark. She had finished reciting the morning announcements and had called dramatically for us to give her our attention. Since this was a homeroom-type class, none of us really expected a final. Ms. Clark was the theatre teacher as well, so last semester she had given us extra credit for helping backstage. I had done it and really had liked it. Hopefully, that would be what we could do this semester too. Of course, it was only January, but Ms. Clark liked to get a head start on things. Today she was wearing her frizzy brown hair up in a knot on her head and wore a dress that just draped her in striped, bright colors. This was conservative dress for her so I knew that she was planning on saying something momentous.

"Well, kids, you've made it. Here you are in the homestretch. I know you can make it. I was informed by our principal this morning that I need to do something in here as a type of final. Giving you extra credit isn't going to cut it this semester. Also, last semester's turn out for auditions was distressingly low. So instead of worrying about two things I have combined them to make them one problem."

Behind me I heard Gina give a low groan while CeeCee rolled her eyes at me. All of us had an idea of what was coming, but I sincerely hoped it wasn't true. When I said I hated talking in front of class that feeling also extended to plays. Ms. Clark just smiled at us.

"All of you will be required to try out for the play this spring. And I will find a way to give you each the part you deserve. You're my first choices, but don't worry, experienced thespians will also be allowed to try out. This will count as the final."

As Ms. Clark turned to the board to write down the important dates I was positive I was going to throw up. I was going to have to try out for a play. In front of other people. Then I was going to have to act in that play. In front of other people. High school had just become hell. I guess I looked as sick as I felt because I heard someone saying my name. I turned and say that it was Jesse de Silva. Well, technically Hector Jesse de Silva, but no one would really want to go by Hector in this day and age. Anyway, Jesse was sitting in the desk next me staring at me. He had caught Gina's attention too and she poked me.

"Susannah? Are you feeling well?" His eyebrows had come together in a frown that was reflected on his really nice lips. For a moment I was stuck staring into his dark eyes while my heart kept flip-flopping in my chest. Yeah, I had a high school crush. And yes, it just happened to be the boy I had sat next to my entire high school career. His inky black hair curled around his ears and the collar of the blue shirt he was wearing and he had the most beautiful smile and killer abs. Gina poked me again and I realized I hadn't answered.

"Well, yeah. I guess. Why?" Then I could have kicked myself. No, I wasn't feeling fine and I just passed up an opportunity to have the guy I loved give me some sympathy.

Jesse smiled. "You look a little pale and green at the edges."

"The idea of trying out for a play is not something I really want to do."

"You'll do fine, Susannah. Besides, maybe all you'll have to do is be like an extra or something. There's no need to get stressed out before anything happens." Jesse said as he tried to look encouraging.

"So I can stress out when something happens?" I joked, starting to feel a little better.

"Definitely." Jesse grinned and turned to copy down what Ms. Clark had written on the board. I turned to do the same thing. The play was going to be _As You Like It_. That was a plus. It was one of the only Shakespeare plays I liked. The auditions were in three weeks and the play would be the last week of April. Great. My torture was going to be prolonged.

**So this is just the beginning. I know it's short, but it was just an idea I had to get down. I have other stories so I'll be working on them too. But I'd really like reviews—love it or not, please let me know. **


	2. I'm not bragging, but

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with the Mediator Series because that honor is exclusively Meg Cabot's. I also don't own anything by William Shakespeare that happens to appear in the chapters. I do, however, own the plot. Yay for me. ;) **

**A/N: This chapter is in **_**Jesse's**_** point of view. Look to my author's notes for the point of view in each chapter. (:**

**I really, really want to thank: dori-tori, realbells21, twiihard13, Rosie19693, bookworm3, Marien Volturi, and jesseloverleona. I appreciate it all! More, please? **

**(000)**

I was probably the only one excited about the fact that we were doing the play for our final. I mean, I wasn't a thespian or anything, but I enjoyed doing things a little out of my comfort zone. It gives me a chance to test myself; if I didn't do that I would become complacent and lazy and not live up to the potential I had. Also, it gave me a chance to find new interests and hobbies and meet new people.

When I entered the auditorium the afternoon of the auditions, I noticed that Adam was sitting in the first row talking to CeeCee and Gina in the row behind him. My eyes automatically scanned for Susannah's dark head and didn't see it. She also hadn't been in class this morning and I wondered if she was intentionally skipping. As this wasn't something I could see her doing (she always seemed practically fearless to me) I decided that she was just running late. This decision was reinforced by the fact that as I took a seat next to Adam and said hello to the girls, Susannah came flying in the side door looking more than a little crazed.

"Oh, thank god, I beat Ms. Clark. I think I was more terrified of facing her wrath than this stupid audition." Susannah panted as she ungracefully plopped into the seat next to me. I couldn't help but smile at what she said. It always seemed that she never failed to make me smile.

"Probably her wrath would have been great. I've never known anyone more dedicated to punctuality." CeeCee commented. Susannah turned and made a face at CeeCee, then scrunched down in the seat until she was practically lying down.

"Now that I'm here, I think I might throw up." She muttered. I looked over to see her close her eyes and swallow.

"It's nothing you can't handle, Susannah. Of that, I have complete and total confidence." I watched as her cheeks reddened slightly before she looked at me from under her eyelashes. I assume she was looking to see if I was being completely honest and when she ascertained that I was, she smiled shyly and murmured "thanks" before going back to doing deep breathing exercises.

I could have stayed and stared at her for the rest of the afternoon, but my gazing was interrupted by Ms. Clark marching onto the stage. "All right. The auditions for _As You Like It_ will now commence. A short speaking piece should have been prepared like I discussed in class. I'm just going to use the roster to call you up. When you come up, try to stand center stage and give it the best you got." She smiled and headed to a small desk-like area situated off to the side of the seats in the auditorium.

As Ms. Clark continued down the list, I became more excited as did Adam and Gina. CeeCee became quieter and I could see her mouthing words to herself. Susannah looked as if she wasn't going to just be sick, but expire on the spot. I wanted to take her hand, but wasn't sure if she would welcome it or not, so I kept my hands at my sides.

Finally I heard Ms. Clark call my name and I headed toward the stage. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Adam and Brad (who had snuck in just in time for his audition) give me a thumbs up while CeeCee and Gina smiled encouragingly. Susannah continued to sit like a mummy in her chair, which made me smile. I stood at center stage and prepared myself.

"As I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion bequeathed me by will but poor a thousand crowns, and, as thou sayest, charged my brother, on his blessing, to breed me well: and there begins my sadness. My brother Jaques he keeps at school, and report speaks goldenly of his profit: for my part, he keeps me rustically at home, or, to speak more properly, stays me here at home unkept; for call you that keeping for a gentleman of my birth, that differs not from the stalling of an ox?"

Here I paused for emphasis and found that I had even captured Susannah's wary interest. I wasn't bragging, but I had the attention of the entire auditorium. Ms. Clark was scribbling furiously on the pad in front of her.

I took a deep breath and continued: "His horses are bred better; for, besides that they are fair with their feeding, they are taught their manage, and to that end riders dearly hired: but I, his brother, gain nothing under him but growth; for the which his animals on his dunghills are as much bound to him as I. Besides this nothing that he so plentifully gives me, the something that nature gave me his countenance seems to take from me: he lets me feed with his hinds, bars me the place of a brother, and, as much as in him lies, mines my gentility with my education. This is it, Adam, that grieves me; and the spirit of my father, which I think is within me, begins to mutiny against this servitude: I will no longer endure it, though yet I know no wise remedy how to avoid it." As I finished there was a beat of silence before the applause erupted. The nervousness I had refused to acknowledge was buried under the sense of accomplishment I felt. It didn't matter what part I ended up with in the end, I had done the best I could and it had obviously been pretty good. When I sat back down between Adam and Susannah, Adam couldn't contain his excitement.

"Man, Jesse, I never knew you could do that. You have a hidden talent here. We could ride to Hollywood on that talent. I mean, between you and me, we could take the acting world by storm. The ladies wouldn't leave us alone." He looked to be seriously considering this, so CeeCee reached forward and slapped him on the head.

"What? I'm just being hones, so sue me."

"Maybe I will." CeeCee muttered, darkly. I definitely believed that she would. Adam seemed to think so too because he shut up and turned back to stare at the stage.

I heard a muffled laugh next to me and turned to see Susannah trying not to laugh out loud at the antics of the other two. I grinned and leaned over to her and whispered, "One day, they are going to be quite the power couple. Except, of course, if CeeCee goes a little too far and strangles him in frustration."

"Well, it would be hard for her to do that when she's so in love with him." She said, giggling.

"No, it would be because she loves him. She would be trying to save him from himself."

"I get the feeling that, as much as I love her, she's not that much of a humanitarian."

"Well, it would be somewhat humanitarian to save the world from the clutches of Adam." We continued on in this vain until Susannah couldn't take it anymore and burst out laughing, drawing the attention of the entire auditorium over to us.

"Mr. de Silva, Miss Simon, is there something you would like to share with us?"

"No." We answered together.

"Fine, then. Miss Simon, it's your turn and Mr. de Silva, I would appreciate it if you would remain quiet for the rest of the auditions or leave the auditorium."

"I'll stay quiet, Ms. Clark."

"Very good." She turned from me to smile expectantly at Susannah who stood, twirling her thumbs nervously. "Go ahead, Suze."

I watched as she took a few deep breaths before beginning: "I will weary you then no longer with idle talking. Know of me then, for now I speak to some purpose," she began to falter and I urged her to look at me. I knew she couldn't hear me in her head, but, suddenly, she looked right at me and I smiled in encouragement. Keeping her eyes locked with mine, she continued: "that I know you are a gentleman of good conceit: I speak not this that you should bear a good opinion of my knowledge, insomuch I say I know you are; neither do I labor for a greater esteem than may in some little measure draw a belief from you, to do yourself good and not to grace me."

She paused again, but instead of faltering, she continued on confidently, still not looking anywhere else but at me. "Believe then, if you please, that I can do strange things: I have, since I was three years old, conversed with a magician, most profound in his art and yet not damnable. If you do love Rosalind so near the heart as your gesture cries it out, when your brother marries Aliena, shall you marry her: I know into what straits of fortune she is driven; and it is not impossible to me, if it appear not inconvenient to you, to set her before your eyes tomorrow human as she is and without any danger." Her smile was huge when she finished and grew even bigger when the people left applauded enthusiastically. She bounded off the stage and headed over to us.

Gina jumped up and grabbed her into a huge hug. "I knew you could do it. Didn't I tell you that you could?"

"You did, but I didn't know. I can't believe I did it." She laughed and twirled in a circle as Gina pulled her along. When Gina released her, she turned to me and grabbed me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don't think I could have done it without you. I swear I was about ready to swallow my tongue and then I looked at you and saw you smiling and I knew I could finish."

"It was my pleasure." I mumbled as I gave into my desire to bury my face in her hair for a moment. It was only when Brad, who had walked over to join us, cleared his throat that we broke apart.

"That was cozy." Brad smirked. Susannah was slightly redder than a tomato and I'm sure my face was bright red based on the burning sensation I felt. "So, Suze, ready to go?"

"As soon as CeeCee is done with her audition, I'm ready to go." Susannah answered as she sat back down. I sat back down too and we all turned our attention to CeeCee. She received enthusiastic applause, especially from our little group and as she headed back toward us, Ms. Clark stood.

"In order to compensate for the fact that we have several novices, I'm not going to go through the rigmarole of having call-backs. I'll have the list posted by Monday's class. I want to say that I'm very impressed by the caliber of the auditions and wish you all a good weekend."

We all filed out of the auditorium and before I had a chance to say goodbye to Susannah, she, Brad, CeeCee, and Gina hurried of with quick farewells thrown over their shoulders. Adam said something about chemistry homework and I was left to contemplate my feelings. Maybe this play was more than a way to expand my horizons. It was a chance for me to show Susannah my feelings. I had loved her since our sophomore year when she had tripped on her way back from giving a presentation and had looked right at me and smiled. I figured it was about time to tell her that.

(000)

**Please keep the reviews coming. I hope you like the way I portrayed Jesse and if not, then oh well. It is how I've always imagined his thoughts would be. Again, please, please, please review. **

**What Suze said can be found in ACT 5, SCENE 2 of the play and what Jesse said can be found in ACT 1, SCENE 1.**


	3. Oh the joys

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with the Mediator Series because that honor is exclusively Meg Cabot's. I also don't own anything by William Shakespeare that happens to appear in the chapters. I do, however, own the plot. Yay for me. ;) **

**I really, really want to thank Rudy555, indie-girl24, xoxdreamerrxox, MelodyontheWater, Kiefercarlos, NCISlover16, MarcyPlayground, SparklyVamp, Maddzatazz, iceQueen02 and twilight charmer and also a "thank you" to:**

**Miami Blackheart: I'm glad that you like it—I love that it was an "aw" chapter for you too.**

**dori-tori: I'm glad that you like Jesse's portrayal and will wait for more.**

**kimmi0490: I'm so happy that you love it!**

**procrastinator: Thanks for saying it was original, I'm glad =).**

**jesseloverleona: Yay! Thanks for sticking with me. **

**bookworm3: Yes, definite foreshadowing, lol. Thank you so much!**

**Jack Sparrow's my man: Thank you! This was exactly what I needed to really kick me into gear with this story.**

**THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR STICKING! **

**Now on with the chapter.**

**A/N: This chapter is in **_**Suze's**_** point of view. Look to my author's notes for the point of view in each chapter. (:**

**(000) (000) (000)**

All right, so I had made it through the auditions no worse for wear. In fact, I was pretty pleased with my performance. On the way home, I kept pretty much to myself, listening to Jake, Brad and David talking about what they had done that day. Brad would have driven us to and from school, but the car needed its fuel pump replaced so poor Jake had been dragooned into taking us. He didn't seem to mind really and listened with seeming interest to what the other two were saying. I had to admit, some of David's recounts seemed a little too cerebral for even me to follow so I had no idea why Jake sat there nodding and replying at the appropriate places; he probably had it down pat from knowing the kid his entire life. This didn't really interest me for long since my thoughts once again focused on Jesse.

We had known each other since middle school, at least, and we had really started to get to know each other in high school. I could still remember him in sixth grade when he and I blew up our science project assignment. We were supposed to make a reaction happen that would pop the lid off of a coffee can. However, we added too much of all the ingredients and the can not only popped its lid, it exploded! The lid flew everywhere and the can hit the wall. Thankfully, it didn't set off the fire alarm (as I was prone to do in sixth grade science). I can still remember the way we died laughing and got detention for "not taking the experiment seriously and endangering ourselves and our classmates"…right. We were detention buddies for six weeks and then kind of lost touch. Whenever one of us saw the other we acknowledged each other and everything, but then he had his first girlfriend and I became really close with CeeCee and Gina and we kind of drifted (if you can drift from an acquaintance). In high school, though, it was a different story. His best friend, Adam, fell in love with Cee and started to follow her around everywhere. Then the two of them became friends with Brad and since he loved (still does, actually) Gina, we kind of became the six musketeers (even though Adam suggested calling us the "Three Musketeers Squared" and was shot down).

I could still completely visualize when I had first felt something more than friendship for Jesse. It had been at the beginning of tenth grade and he and I were the only ones who had the majority of our classes together. It had been the afternoon of the first Friday back to school and we were waiting for everyone else to join us to walk over for coffee. I had been running late that morning and so had just thrown on a slightly wrinkled shirt and jeans and had barely attempted running a brush through the frizz on my head. Jesse hadn't looked too put together either and so I hadn't felt out of place. However, this was high school so not looking put together (especially for a girl) wasn't a choice.

"Simon, don't you have any pride in your appearance?" A nasally voice asked from behind me.

I turned around to see Melanie Dixon standing behind me with a couple of her cronies (I refused to call them flying monkeys because I had too much respect for Elphaba Thropp). She was queen of the school and in her prime (senior year). "I do. I thought this wasn't too bad seeing as how I had to get out of bed about six minutes before the first bell rang."

Then there was her little tinkling laugh. "Oh, Simon, you think you're so funny. Next time try not to look like a troll."

"She looks just fine, Melanie." Jesse's deep voice came from behind me. Truthfully, I had forgotten that he was there, but when he spoke I actually felt butterflies in my stomach.

"Oh, Jesse. I didn't see you there." Again, the tinkling laughter this time joined in by her cronies. I guess, for a boy, looking a little unkempt was okay. The girls simpered a little and I rolled my eyes. Seriously. Simpering was particularly stupid.

"Right. Well, bye Melanie." Jesse reached out and grabbed my arm and dragged me over to where Gina was flagging us down. I guess I hadn't seen her through all of the glitter and hairspray. But Jesse's hand on my arm was making me feel as if a branding iron was wrapped around me. I didn't have too much time to think on it though because as soon as we saw the others he let me go.

As we all talked over coffee, I found my gaze straying toward Jesse more and more. I paid particular attention to his eyes and the way they, well, sparkled when he laughed and how they reminded me of melted dark chocolate (my favorite kind). Also, his dark hair had become slightly curlier and it was definitely a little longer than he usually wore it. He slouched over the table a little more than Brad or Adam because he was taller than them but he was gangly. Not a bad gangly, mind you, but ganglier than the other two boys in my acquaintance (even my other step brothers because David was still a little chubby from baby fat). I had to admit, gangly was what I liked. A lot of the girls probably found him cute, but not handsome or probably even hot. For me though, he was the epitome of sexy. And we were only fifteen. I was in love, though. I fell in love one afternoon my sophomore year with the sweetest guy I could possibly know and the cherry on top was that I found him to be exactly what I wanted on the inside as well as the outside.

I was pulled out of my reverie when Jake said my name.

"Huh?"

"Suze, we're home. I've been trying to get your attention for like five minutes."

"Oh, sorry." Here I used my sheepish smile and slid out of the car.

"Are you okay? I mean, the audition couldn't have been that bad." Concern was evident in his tone, but so was skepticism.

"Yeah, Jake, I'm good. Just thinking about all of my homework."

"Almost done. Then you can go to college and have fun."

Spontaneously, I reached out and hugged him. "Thanks." With that, I headed on into the house to start the aforementioned homework. Oh the joys of AP English.

**(000) (000) (000)**

On Sunday night I had made plans to meet with Adam and Jesse to work on our Economics project. We were supposed to pretend we were an investment firm and had a client that had invested in six different stocks assigned to us. Then we had to watch the daily points, calculate gains and losses, and then write a weekly report. Jesse and Adam did the math and then I wrote the report, but we all did it together (not only because we were supposed to, but because it provided moral support). Today we met at Adam's house and Brad was going to pick me up at ten when he was done with his wrestling match.

"So, Hershey's stock actually went up by quite a bit this week while Chevron/Texaco dropped. I guess that shows where priorities lie." Adam was staring at the computer printouts with a bemused face.

"I'd rather have chocolate than gas for my car." I smiled at my joke.

"That's because you don't have a car, Suze." Jesse replied dryly, working out the money surplus for Hershey.

"Well, our client should be happy that chocolate will help make up for his gas loss." I made a quick notation on my laptop of that statement, in more professional language of course.

"Only you, Suze." Jesse smirked up at me and my heart did a flip. Yeah, that's how far gone I was. My heart sped up when he _smirked_. Pathetic.

"Too bad I can't actually write it that way. This is so cut and dried. It makes me want to shoot myself. I'd almost rather have to write another essay on the themes of C_rime and Punishment_ for Mr. Roeland. And that's saying something because you can only say so many times that the man was a sociopath and was crazy and got off easy. Really, it was kind of sick the miscarriage of justice that occurred in that book. Also, the fact that he kind of made it a game. Killing someone is not funny." On that note I looked up to notice that both boys were grinning at me.

"Jeez, now we know why you want to be a high school English teacher." I looked at Adam and just shook my head. "Really, though, your passion was kind of cute."

"Oh leave her alone, Adam. She's always cute." Jesse replied, flippantly.

I must have been staring because he looked up at me with one eyebrow quirked and I felt myself blush tomato red. "S-sorry. It's just, that was nice. Thanks."

"No problem. So, our investor lost significantly with the gas, but the chocolate and perfume made up the difference and actually left a surplus. Once we figure out the last three we'll have the total, but right now, it's looking good."

"Right." With a nod I added that to the report.

"I can't find BlackBerry on this page and I know it's toward the end of the list. I'm gonna go see if it's in the living room or something." Adam threw the papers down and stalked out of the room.

"I know these stocks are tedious, but I always hate to see him get so frustrated." I hated it when any of my friends were upset, but Adam was usually happy and so I wanted him to smile.

"He's actually a little frustrated with CeeCee right now."

I looked over at Jesse questioningly. Why was Adam mad at Cee? As far as I knew on Friday everyone was happy. I mean, Adam was chasing Cee a lot and she never gave in, but he just brushed it off.

"He asked her out for Valentine's this year. She flat out refused him and told him to leave her alone about that kind of stuff. He was pretty hurt by it because she's usually nicer. When he asked, she said she didn't think of him like that." Jesse looked over his shoulder to make sure that Adam still wasn't heading this way. "I think this might be it for him."

"What?" I was floored. Adam wasn't the type to just give up when he didn't get what he wanted.

"Susannah, he's been chasing her for three and a half years now. I think he can't take it anymore."

I was momentarily distracted by the way Jesse said my full name, but then I thought about Adam. It wasn't right that Cee did that to him so I guess I couldn't really blame him. Adam came back in before I could say anything to Jesse. For a long time, the only things said were about the stocks. We finished about nine-thirty and our client had earned a grand total of $1,282 over the last week. Not bad, but not great either for a whole week. I was convinced that I would probably never invest money in stocks because a lot of the times the results were less than great. When I said this out loud, the thin layer of tension broke and we all couldn't stop laughing for few minutes.

"So, I should probably head on home now." I actually felt my face fall and hoped that neither of them noticed, except Jesse did. I should have figured he would because he is annoyingly perceptive. "Sorry, Suze, but my little sister needs me to help her with her Science Fair project."

"Oh, no it's okay, Jesse. I just have to wait at least another half hour for Brad and I'm actually kind of tired. Also, I have to put up with Adam by myself now."

Jesse laughed while Adam uttered a mock hurt "hey" and joined in. I smiled. The two of them were kind of like little boys: when one laughed, it wouldn't be long until the other one joined in. I really felt let down though because I wanted to spend more time with Jesse than I did and I could never find the time or the way to do that.

"Well, if you text Brad and let him know that I can take you home, I will." Jesse smiled at me and I felt another heart flutter as well as a stomach flip. I nodded enthusiastically and pulled out my phone to text Brad. Once that was done, I put my laptop in my backpack and gave the printed report to Adam since it was his turn to hand it in. We both said our goodbyes and the next thing I knew I was in Jesse's car on the way to my house.

It was comfortably quiet between the two of us and I was content. I'd rather have an hour of quiet with Jesse than half an hour of talking with James Marsden and that was saying something. Our hands rested only a few centimeters from each other as his rested on the gearshift and mine was lying on the seat next to it. I didn't know if he felt it or not (I doubted it) but it seemed as if electricity crackled in that short distance and I wanted to reach out and see what happened. Before I got to, though, he had pulled into my drive way.

I turned to him and smiled. "Thanks, Jesse. I appreciate it."

"No problem, Suze. In fact, I can do this for the rest of the semester so Brad or someone else doesn't have to come get you. You're on my way home." I saw his teeth flash in the semi-darkness and grinned too.

"Okay."

We both sat for a moment in the car and then I felt him shift his hand. The next thing I knew, it was on top of mine. He squeezed my hand and I gripped his back. Then, feeling bolder, I leaned across the car and kissed his cheek a little closer to his lips then I usually do.

"Goodnight, Jesse."

Right before I closed the car door I heard, "Goodnight, _querida_." It shivered on the air for a moment and then I closed the door. I stood and watched as he backed out and drove off down the street. I think I practically floated back to my room, my heart was so light.

**(000) (000) (000)**

**So that's this chapter. I hope to have the next one up soon. I promise that it won't be another year before I do, but it will be a couple of days since tomorrow is devoted all to homework.**

**I know this one had more background than dialogue, but I wanted to establish Suze's story and the next chapter will reveal who gets what part in "As You Like It" and Jesse's falling in love story.**

**Thanks again for sticking with me.**

**Please review and let me know what you think.**

**-myinnervoice- **


	4. Inner Cupids and Cold Medicine

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with the Mediator Series because that honor is exclusively Meg Cabot's. I also don't own anything by William Shakespeare that happens to appear in the chapters. I do, however, own the plot. Yay for me. ;)**

**I'm so sorry that January was a long time ago, but I've switched my major and then had to deal with a bunch of projects on the same day and finals all on the same day and I broke my ankle so have had to be at the doctor's a lot. Thanks for sticking with me! **

**Thanks to twilight charmer, crazybeautifuldisaster, MaryImaginary, WillowBee, and vampireobsesser. And also too: **

**Jack Sparrow's My Man: Thank you for your support! I'm sorry this wasn't a faster update, but I really hope to update faster as the semester winds down. (:**

**JesseLoverLeona: Sorry about the name thing. I'm really glad you liked the chapter!**

**Kimmi0490: I'm glad the last chapter was fab! ;) I hope this one is ok too.**

**Iruchi-chan: I'm glad you really liked the chapter. I actually find **_**Romeo and Juliet**_** to be the bane of my existence; I studied it so much in middle school and high school that I wanted to scream. I'm glad you think that the work is amazing, I needed to hear that! **

**A/N: This chapter is from **_**Jesse's**_** point of view. I hope it lives up to your wonderful expectations! ;)**

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The last place I actually wanted to be today was school. I really felt like curling up in a ball under my sheets and staying there. I had a stupid cold. It had started in the middle of the night and I hadn't slept a wink. But, admittedly, I was really excited to find out who got what part in the play. So, I pulled myself out of bed and made some effort at trying to look nice and headed for school. In my drug induced haze (those antihistamines knock you out…ugh) I had resolved that no matter what, I was going to find some way to tell Susannah how I felt. I was taking action. I was going to do something about and quit just saying that…once my head wasn't all stuffy, that is. Hopefully, that would be soon. Really, I had been cowardly lately (and usually I'm not) because I've really come to admire to our friendship and I would hate to lose it. But I could see myself with her ten years from now, married and happy and starting our life together. According to Adam, I had to "man up" and I knew it.

"Jesse?"

I jumped when I realized that I had been standing in front of my locker and just staring at it. I turned to see Susannah and Adam looking at me with what I was guessing was concern, although Adam looked like he was swallowing a snigger.

"Hey." I smiled at Susannah and then, when she had turned to her locker, I glared at Adam. This time, he couldn't swallow his laugh.

"So, I promised Cee and Gina I would meet up with them before homeroom. I'll see you guys later." Susannah closed her locker, waved and headed down the hall. I stood watching her for some time until I felt someone hit my head. I looked over and saw Adam smirking at me.

"What?" So, I was on the defensive already. Great.

"You're sooo in loo-oove with her!" Adam sing-songed.

I sighed. "Yeah, I am."

"What?" This time, it was Adam's turn.

"I love her."

"Dude, we're in high school. You can't love someone."

I took a moment to gather my thoughts and then started toward Ms. Clark's classroom. I knew I had to explain it to Adam so he would understand.

"I think you can love someone, Adam. I fell in love with Susannah at the end of last year."

We were both in the class now and it was empty so I was relieved that we could have this conversation in private.

"How?"

"We both had AP U.S. History together and it was the last day of school before summer. You know that David had been being bullied last year?" At his affirmative nod I continued, "He came to her after we were released. He had a black eye and was really upset. Susannah was so good with him. She washed his face in the water fountain and just comforted him. We had already made plans to hang out that evening but she asked if we could change them. Instead, I offered that we take David to go and get ice cream and she hugged me. It was different than before. I felt as if she let go I would really be losing something. So we went and took David for ice cream and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I saw her differently and I realized that seeing her with David made me realize that I had been falling in love with her for a while."

Adam just stared at me for a moment. Then he grinned and I was a little wary of whatever "genius" plan that he had just come up with. "Well, Jesse, I think I know how I can help you confess your feelings."

"Really?"

"Yes. We're going to use this play to show Suze exactly how you feel."

"How?"

"You two are the leads, so we can just use Shakespeare's smarts to make a situation for you two where you'll become so overwhelmed by your feelings for each other that you just have to act on it."

"How do you know we're the leads?"

"You are so unobservant. It's posted on the list next to Ms. Clark's desk."

I smiled sheepishly. "Oh."

"So you'll need lots of practice and we can make it so that you two are alone a lot and…hey, we can even enlist Ms. Clark."

"No! No, Adam this stays between you and me."

Adam sighed dramatically. "Fine. But this greatly limits my abilities as playing the world's best Cupid ever."

"I think your inner-Cupid will survive Adam."

"How do you know? It could handicap me so greatly that I am never able to get a girl for myself."

I looked at him and saw that under his façade, he wasn't as happy as I thought he had been. "Is this stuff with CeeCee continuing to shoot down really getting to you?"

"Yeah."

"How about you go to her and tell her that you're trying to get me and Susannah together and you'll need her help? Just…let me break it to Brad that I'm desperately in love with his sister."

"You're what?" Oh. Crap. It really was just my luck that Brad would walk in the door in time to hear that. I turned to face him and was relieved that he didn't seem outwardly angry, but sometimes that meant it was going to be even worse.

"I'm in love with Susannah and Adam is going to help me convince her of my feelings." Geez that cold medicine must have also made me a lot more talkative than I used to be. Brad looked contemplative for a moment and then smiled. "I'm so in, too."

And that was how I had two self-proclaimed Cupids' (although I was more inclined to believe Brad as he actually had a girlfriend) helping me to win the heart of Susannah. Goody.

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**Ok, it's a little short. I'm sorry. But this was just to set the next part into motion. This is only about a ten chapter fic (maybe I'll write an epilogue) but it's almost to the top of the plot mountain and then it's all downhill from there. But a good downhill. **


	5. Next Step Toward More Than Friends

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with the Mediator Series because that honor is exclusively Meg Cabot's. I also don't own anything by William Shakespeare that happens to appear in the chapters. I do, however, own the plot. Yay for me. ;)**

**Thanks to angel4eva-15, Living On A Snowflake's Dream, IsobelleBaby, Iced Tears, and . **

**And a special thanks to:**

**WillowBee: I love your reviews! They so make my day. I tried putting Paul in as a romantic rival, but I just couldn't quite make it work. Everything I did was trite and clichéd to the point that I couldn't stand it. But thank you for taking such an interest; I hope I live up to your expectations! (:**

**jediahsakoraxx: They totally are! I hope you continue to love it! Thanks for reviewing. **

**lovelikewoe13: I'm glad you think it's amazing. I plan to finish it soon!**

**NegligibleNaina: Your review made my day! I will update so please, don't hurt your book, it's worth so much more, lol. **

**A/N: This chapter is from **_**Suze's**_** point of view.**

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I couldn't believe that I was playing Rosalind. It had been a month and a half of practices and I still couldn't get over it. Except, even though I couldn't seem to get over it, I was really enjoying it. Acting was something totally new to me, but I loved being on the stage and performing for anyone who was in the audience (usually Ms. Clark, a few other teachers, our costumer and whoever wasn't needed that day but had to watch anyway). I mean, it's not like I'm a diva…Gina definitely is one. The best part of it is when my Orlando and I were on stage. Jesse would look at me sometimes and his dark eyes would seem to have some deeper emotion in them that I couldn't quite work out, but it gave me hope. And it made my stomach flip and my heart race. But I couldn't figure it out and I really, _really_ wanted to know what he was thinking. Sometimes, I really, _really_ hate high school. It has totally changed me, you know. I mean, I'm thinking in italics. That's got to be weird for anyone, but I would assume that older people (you know, those in their thirties) would have more cause to think in italics than some eighteen year old, but obviously not. Anyway, I digress.

As I walked out of the auditorium with CeeCee and Adam, I was happy to see that they had been on happier terms than they had been for a while. Since I was so happy, I pretended to ignore the fact that covert glances were often sent my way. Secret agents, these two were not. But that was neither here nor there. I could feel Jesse walking up behind me. And that might sound stupid, but there was this…awareness of him that was only heightened by the fact that we were spending more time together than we used to uninterrupted and…alone. _Alone_. That word sent decidedly delicious shivers down my spine. I had to admit: I was completely and hopelessly in love with Jesse. Now I just had to do something about it.

"Susannah? Are you all right?" Jesse put his hand on my shoulder and I really just wanted to turn around and kiss him. But, I couldn't do that yet. Yet. That was a reassuring thought. God, I was so becoming pathetic.

"Susannah, did you hear what I said?" Jesse was looking at me with one eyebrow quirked and trying not to smirk. It was so obvious I had been off in la-la-land. I hadn't even noticed that CeeCee and Adam had left.

"Sorry, Jesse. I guess I still was in my own world."

"It's okay. I was just wondering if you wanted to maybe go get some ice cream. We could run our lines."

I hoped my grin didn't make me look like an idiot. "Sure. That sounds great."

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The ice cream tasted particularly good, but I was pretty sure it was just the company. I knew it wasn't a date, but it was an outing with just the two of us. Also, I don't know if it was just me, but I could sense this different tension between us (not necessarily sexual tension—because I did want him like that, but not until we were a little older and knew ourselves and each other better) that was very unnerving, but in a totally good way.

"Susannah, are you alright?"

I realized I had been staring at his lips. They looked as yummy as his mocha chip ice cream. "Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just, you know…spacing out."

"That's the second time you've done that today. Are you feeling all right? I didn't give you that cold I had last month did I?"

"No, no. I just…have things on my mind. You know?"

"Yes, I totally understand. Did I tell you how many stupid colleges I applied to?"

"No. I only applied to a few. How many did you apply to?"

"Seven."

I think my eyes must have bugged out because Jesse started laughing really hard and couldn't stop. "No, I'm sorry Jesse. I didn't mean…" I spluttered.

"It's okay. My mom thought I was insane. But I want to get into the best so that I can get into medical school afterwards, you know?"

"I get it. So, you want to go to medical school?"

He smiled and his eyes were so warm. I felt a flutter in my stomach and willed myself not to blush too. "I do. I want to become a pediatric neurologist. I would really love to make it into Columbia University and then Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons for medical school."

Oh my god. I was in love with someone who wanted to save the world and I wasn't even sure I wanted to go to college. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I felt so stupid for that, yet, at the same time I felt content that Jesse knew what he wanted. It was like a weird tug-of-war was going on inside me. I knew I could tell him that I didn't know what I wanted and he wouldn't laugh at me, but I didn't want to tell him in case he would think less of me for it.

"Susannah? What is going on?" Jesse was looking at me at all concerned and I realized it was the third time that I had spaced.

"I'm sorry. Really, really sorry. I just…I have no idea what I want to do and now you've told me all your plans and everyone else has plans. And I don't even know if I want to go to college. And my mom says I have to while Andy says that it's not for everyone, but I have to have some idea of what I want to do. But I really, really don't have any idea! It's just…I'm really…stuck. I don't want you to think any less of me. Please, don't think any less of me. I really don't think I could stand it if you did." I folded my arms on the table of the booth and laid my head down on them. I felt tears on my cheeks and was beyond embarrassed that I had totally spazzed out and was crying. I heard Jesse move and then felt the cushion dip next to me. The next thing I knew Jesse had his arm around me and was running his hand softly up and down my arm.

"Susannah, it's all right. You just need to breathe. Just breathe."

I took a few deep breaths that, I'm ashamed to admit, sounded more like a gasping fish. Or something else that desperately needed air. I tried to relax my shoulders and found myself leaning into Jesse who had extended his one-armed hug into a two armed hug. I wish I could say I was so emotional I didn't pay any attention to how wonderful he smelled. That would be an egregious lie. He smelled amazing! And he felt so good. I fit into his side like we were two halves of a whole (and that sounded stupidly clichéd but who cares?) and my head fit just perfectly on the pillow of his shoulder. This time, my deep breath didn't sound like a dying fish. That thought made me giggle.

I heard and felt Jesse chuckle. "Better now, Susannah?"

"Yeah. I am. Thanks, Jesse." I looked up at him with a small smile.

He smiled too. "What are friends for?"

And, I wasn't upset with the whole friend thing because I knew…somewhere inside of me I knew that one day we would, without a doubt, be more than friends.

"So, running lines doesn't seem to be the thing. How about I walk you home?" He slid out of the booth and seamlessly placed the tip on the table while pulling me with him. I have to admit, I was impressed.

As we walked along I was aware of the fact that he was still holding my hand, but I didn't think he was and I wasn't about to make a mention of it or take my hand from his.

"What do you want, Susannah?" He looked down at me and quirked a brow.

"You mean, when I graduate?" He nodded. "Well, I don't know. I'm good at writing. But not stories. I've written tons of plays since I was a little girl. And I enjoy seeing the ideas in my head on paper. Truthfully, I had no idea that I even liked acting until this play. But that might be because of who's playing opposite me." When I looked up, I thought I detected a blush on his cheeks and was pleased to know that he could be embarrassed.

"Well, maybe you could major in English. Like Creative Writing or something."

"I don't know. Creative writing in class is never really creative writing in my opinion. You actually have to _write_ something, you know? You're forcing yourself. And I love to write, but only when it's my own inspiration and not something a teacher or professor tells me to write. But, that's the best suggestion I've ever had, Jesse."

We had stopped in front of my driveway and I was reluctant to go inside. I wanted to stay with him.

"Well, just know that whatever you do you will be good at it. You're not someone who does things halfway. You just have to believe in yourself. I believe in you. So, I know you can do whatever you put your mind to. Just always try to tell yourself you can do it. I mean, don't get full of yourself, but just know that if you want something bad enough and you work for it you can achieve it." He didn't meet my eyes toward the end I knew him well enough to know that it was because he was embarrassed by talking so passionately. But I loved it. It was just another side of him I could admire and love.

"Thank you. Jesse de Silva, you're the best person in the world!" I reached up and brushed a quick kiss on his lips (like a friend would!) and then turned toward my front door. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He stood where I left him with his hand on his lips. Finally, as I was about to close the front door I heard him say: "Until tomorrow, _querida_." And I smiled. Because that thought I had earlier, about that knowledge that we would be more than friends? Well, I had just taken the first step toward making sure that happened.

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**Wow. So that went a little differently than I had expected. But I liked it! Let me know if you did or didn't, your thoughts. Mushy or clichéd or cute? **

**Oh, and we know that Jesse knew he was holding her hand. **

**I'm so excited for this story. Four more chapters and the epilogue! Stick with me. Read, review, and have fun!**


	6. Painful Stage Kiss Delightful Real One

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with the Mediator Series because that honor is exclusively Meg Cabot's. I also don't own anything by William Shakespeare that happens to appear in the chapters. I do, however, own the plot. Yay for me. ;) **

**A/N: Oh, I don't own **_**Crime and Punishment**_** by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, **_**Metamorphosis**_** by Franz Kafka or **_**Song of Solomon**_** by Toni Morrison. I only mention them as they were part of my AP English 12 curriculum. **

**Two in one day! YAY!**

**Thanks to:**

**angel4eva-15: I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's definitely picking up the pace! I'll keep it up. (:**

**This chapter is from **_**Jesse's**_** point of view!**

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February slid into March and before I knew it, it was Spring Break. This last Spring Break was filled with two days of four hour practices and one day of two hours. It wasn't any worse than what our other teachers had in mind for us seniors. Adam, Susannah, and I all had to create an ad slogan and other things for our "investment firm" in Economics, in English we had to write three essays (one on _Crime and Punishment_ by Dostoyevsky, one on _Metamorphosis_ by Kafka and one on _Song of Solomon_ by Morrison) and I had a fifty question test in AP Statistics. It was, after all, our senior year. But these weren't the most pressing things on my mind. The most pressing thing was Susannah. I had a limited amount of time to win her over. And my two supposed Cupid experts were not any help.

For example, recent conversations went something like this:

Adam: "Dude, Suze loves you and you love her. Go for it."

Me: "Thanks. For nothing." The last part was muttered under my breath and Adam left all happy and grinning to go off and continue to make out with CeeCee. I didn't question him on how he "knew" this as I'm sure it would also include many details of make out sessions with CeeCee. Yeah, that cupid was of no help to anyone except himself.

Brad was not much better. A few days after Susannah and I had the **I**ce **C**ream **I**ncident (as I have started to think of it), he came up to me.

Brad: "I like you, de Silva. But you've done something to Suze. And, she's my sister. I am now honor bound to kick your ass."

Me: (feeling overall very frustrated with life, but pleased that I had affected Susannah in some way as I felt it was most likely positive due to the ICT [see above]): Please don't. I rather like my ass. And I didn't do anything to her. She…

Brad: (looking rather annoyed at what I might have said next) Did you kiss her?

Me: I plead the fifth.

Brad: (trying to find a dignified way to end our conversation before he learns more than he wanted) Just don't hurt her, de Silva. Because then I really will kick your ass no matter how fond of it you or she is. (I just smiled as he walked away with his face the color of a very ripe tomato).

After reviewing these incidences in my head I now felt particularly smug. I probably shouldn't feel smug about the whole situation, but I am a teenage boy. I had _affected_ Susannah. I now had this huge bloom of hope in my chest. And the confidence to see my next idea through. I was going to be the one this time that kissed her and then walked away. Not because I'm a cruel or evil human being. But because I wanted to let her know, without words, that I got what she was trying to tell me (that she might have feelings for me) and that I definitely had them for her and the ball would then be in her court to do whatever she wanted to do next. I don't know when I planned to do this, but it would be soon. It had to be. I _couldn't _wait any longer.

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On our Wednesday practice (the two hour one), I found myself very perplexed when it was over and Gina approached me. We were friends, but she very rarely spent time with me without someone else too and I was the same way. I had changed out of the parts of my costume that were completed and was loitering in the auditorium to ask Ms. Clark a few questions. I had been watching her prancing (literally, I'm not exaggerating) around the stage in some red gypsy-like outfit. She really was a pretty awesome teacher.

"So, Jesse, what's up?" I turned to see that Gina had taken a seat next to me. She really had been quiet.

"Not much, Gina. How about you?"

"You know, I'm doing very well. In fact, I saw something kind of interesting today. It really intrigued me." She had a secretive smile on her face and I had an idea of what was coming. In the middle of rehearsing the last scene, Susannah and I had been stealing glances at each other and then for a moment we had just stared at each other. Ms. Clark had been occupied and we were supposed to have been saying our lines, but we had stopped. Susannah and I hadn't looked away from each other for a long time (it was probably about five minutes) but when Ms. Clark had turned back to us we had broken away and I knew I was as red as Susannah.

I just quirked an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything.

"So, when did you realize you were in love with her?"

There was no point in lying. "For a while."

Gina's smile grew. "What are you going to do about it?"

I just shrugged. "I'm working on it."

Gina mockingly shook her head and put her hand on my arm. "Jesse, you move slower than a snail. I'm pretty sure Suze has strong feelings for you and you better act on it. Especially if you end up in New York or Connecticut. I think you two were meant for each other. And so, I'm willing to help."

I tried not to scoff and it ended up sounding like a frog with laryngitis. Gina looked at me as if I was some kind of alien person.

I smiled, hoping I looked sheepish. "Sorry. It's just that Adam and Brad said the same and I all I got out of it was a thanks from Adam and a threat from Brad. What makes you think you can really help me?"

Gina grinned. "I'm the Jedi Master at this kind of stuff. You have much to learn." I must have looked as skeptical as I felt because she shrugged. "Suze is my best friend. I know her pretty well and I want to see her happy. Besides, I'd get to see you happy too. You are one of my friends too you know." She stood up and I followed her, giving up on Ms. Clark who was still prancing around the stage.

"Thanks, Gina. I appreciate it."

She turned back to me. "No prob, Jesse." Then she totally surprised me by hugging me. She snuggled close and I was about to clear my throat and step back (it was a little uncomfortable being _that_ close to someone you had nothing more than friendly feelings for) when she stepped back and sent me a wink. "Hey, Suze."

Gina turned back and I saw Suze standing in the shadow at the end of the row of seats. I couldn't make out her face, but I didn't think she looked too happy as she seemed to be standing very still and she only did that when she was upset.

"Gina. So, can you still give me a ride home?"

Gina nodded and they continued on. I was stuck (vocally and physically) because Susannah didn't acknowledge me and I didn't want to acknowledge how much that hurt. I knew now, more than ever, that I wasn't going to settle for being "just friends" for long.

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Friday's practice made me so happy that the saying about looks being able to kill wasn't true. Adam, CeeCee, and Brad would have mortally wounded me. But Susannah would have killed me. This is why I didn't _do_ romantic intrigue. However, Gina assured me that she would explain to Susannah that she had no designs on me and I definitely had no romantic feelings for her. I just hoped it would be soon. But it wasn't going to be soon enough. We had to practice the kiss at the end of the play. Ms. Clark (no longer a pretty awesome teacher) felt it would add to the romance. I felt that I could easily kill her, bury her and feel no remorse whatsoever if I hadn't been completely and totally humiliated.

Our first attempt had ended with a hard rap of our heads together. The second time, Susannah missed my mouth completely and kissed my cheek. This led to Ms. Clark coming on stage and trying to show us both a stage kiss by practicing on me. Of course, she couldn't really kiss me so we had her pushing our heads together at awkward angles.

"Ow!" Susannah stepped back from me and put a hand to the nose I had just hit my forehead.

"Is it bleeding?" I stepped over to her and she hurriedly stepped back. "Susannah, let me see it." We had a battle of the stares for a moment and she finally put her hands down. Her nose was not bleeding, thankfully, but it looked red and sore. "I'm sorry, Susannah."

She looked at me for a moment before she just shrugged.

"All right, you two. Try again. Maybe not a stage kiss. Maybe just a chaste little peck." Ms. Clark smiled encouragingly at us and bounded back into the auditorium.

I looked at Susannah and raised an eyebrow inquiringly and she just shrugged again. So we went back to our marks and tried again. It was a chaste peck for five seconds until she purposefully bit my lip. _Hard_.

"Ouch! That hurt, Susannah!" Unlike her pretty nose, my lip was bleeding slightly.

This time, she grinned. "Now, we're even, Jesse." She said. I understood she was telling me that she forgave me for whatever imagined offense I had committed. I nodded and smiled a little bit and hissed when my stupid lip hurt.

"Once more, my lovelies!" Ms. Clark called from her seat. And so we did. And this time, it worked.

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Later, after practice, I deliberately waited until Susannah was alone and then led her backstage where we could have a little privacy. I was going to make my move.

When we were alone, she turned and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for biting you."

"It's all right." I said. Because really, it was fine now and I could only think of how I could kiss her and not look like a fool. "I…" No, that's right; I wasn't going to say anything. So, instead, I made the move.

I reached out and pulled her to me slowly. Then, when she was still confused, I put a hand under her chin, tipped her face up to mine, and laid my lips on hers.

Her lips were soft, but a little chapped because she chewed them a lot (because she chewed off whatever lip balm or glass she put on—and how weird was it that I knew this and was reflecting on it when I was kissing the girl I loved?). But the kiss was sweet. She moved closer to me and put her arms around my neck deepening the kiss a little. I knew I needed to step back and pull away, but I held on for a moment longer. When we finally pulled apart, we were both slightly breathless and she was flushed. Her eyes were a little dazed and I needed to say what I had planned before she came to her senses and wondered if I had lost my mind.

I smiled softly. "The next step is yours, _querida_. There's no rush." She nodded slightly and my smile grew. "Have a wonderful weekend, _querida_." And with that, I walked back onto the stage and left the auditorium with butterflies in my stomach, a spring to my step and knowledge that I had kissed Susannah Simon: the girl I would love for the rest of my life.

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**Love it, hate it? I hope it wasn't too rushed. Read, review, have fun! Please. (:**


	7. Marinating on Life and Henry VIII

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with the Mediator Series because that honor is exclusively Meg Cabot's. I also don't own anything by William Shakespeare that happens to appear in the chapters. I do, however, own the plot. Also, I don't own Star Wars. Yay for me. ;)**

**I want to thank . I had thanked you in chapter 5 but I couldn't get it to show up. I'm sorry! But thank you!**

**Also, a special thank you to:**

**dori-tori: Thank you so much for reviewing. I understand about being stressed and busy. I hope it gets better soon and I hope you like this update too!**

**WillowBee: Thank you! Truthfully, I find it adorable too but I'm the author and can't be considered objective. I have an idea on the Paul, but it might not be as a rival love interest. I hope you continue to find it adorable and interesting!**

**A/N: Three in one day? Wow…and yay! Don't forget to read chapters 5 and 6 if you haven't already (they were posted earlier today). **

**This chapter is in **_**Suze's**_** point of view!**

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I was losing my mind. I would go to sleep at night and dream about my kiss with Jesse. Then, during the day I would wonder off into daydreams about it. That was inconvenient, you know, because I was supposed to have my lines memorized, my part of our ad campaign for Econ done and a bunch of other things for finals done. On top of it all, Jesse tells me it's my move! Ugh! It's probably because I love him that he infuriates me sometimes. So, it was now the end of April and I hadn't given him any idea about what I was thinking and he was all okay with that! He was supposed to chase me (or, at least, some small, selfish part of me wanted him to chase after me). I needed to stop thinking in exclamation points. It was really starting to give me a headache. Even Gina had questioned me about it (after I had accused her of going after "my man" and she had assured me that was not the case). I had been so annoyed that I had yelled at her that I was _marinating_ about it. Marinating. I had meant _ruminating_ on it. How pathetic was that? I'm a writer (of scripts—most of which are entitled something like _Mr. Snuggles' Adventures in Bearyland_) but I can't even speak English correctly? That boy has messed me up completely. And I think that was his goal.

Anyway. I may not have wanted to go to college, but I still wanted to graduate high school with a solid A/B average. So that meant I had to study. And since I wasn't exactly avoiding Jesse (who was my usual study buddy) but neither was I actively seeking him out, I had taken to studying with CeeCee. CeeCee was almost always on the phone with Adam and exchanging flirtatious movie quotes while we're supposed to be trying to understand the deeper meaning of Henry VIII's push for divorce. I mean, I understood it, but I don't think it would be great to write on my essay that it was because men liked to mess with women's heads and then claim that we played games that they couldn't figure out. Hah. Yeah, right. Even though I knew without a doubt that was the answer to the stuff, it wouldn't fly on my final.

After exchanging the classic Leia/Han Solo "I love you"/"I know" line, CeeCee finally hug up with Adam. When she turned, her face was so brightly happy that it could have lit the world up, not just the room. I smiled back, happy to finally see her happy.

"So, how's Adam?" I asked.

"Great!" More exclamation points as she giggled. "He got his acceptance letter to UCLA today. So now we'll be going together!" And, another exclamation point.

"That's great, Cee. I'm happy for you." I said. I really was happy for her; I wasn't going to let my own problems drag me down.

"Suze." I looked up to see CeeCee looking at me, faintly troubled. "Is everything okay with you? You've been really distracted lately and, well, sometimes a little snappy. Do you want to talk to me about it?"

I sighed. "I don't know. I just…have so much going on right now."

CeeCee nodded, looking a little upset. Most likely because she wanted to really help me. And so that's how I found myself spilling everything out. From the time I first fell for Jesse to the thoughts I had just had about Henry VIII. For a moment after I finished, CeeCee just stared at me. I'm sure I'd sounded only slightly less deranged than a crazy mental patient. I felt like a deranged mental patient. Maybe I should commit myself. When I asked Cee if I should she died laughing. Then when I saw how stupid it all was I started laughing too. When we were able to finally get ourselves under control (except for the occasional escaped giggles that sounded suspiciously like a herd of hyenas) we had tears running down our faces and my stomach muscles really hurt.

"Thanks, Cee. I really needed that."

"God, so did I. I think finals are really going to kill us. Figuratively."

I nodded sagely. "Definitely."

Cee grinned. "Although, you should put that in about old Henry. It will have the element of surprise, humor, and originality when the essay gets graded. Everyone else will drone on about the religious crap, including myself, and you'll have some true feminine insight into it all."

I giggled again. "Yeah, well. It all depends on my own view of things. You know?"

It was her turn to nod sagely. "I do. Suze, I think you should tell Jesse exactly how you feel about him. Just lay it all out there. Then kiss him again, except this time use tongue. And then walk away and let him come to you."

"You're so wise." I joked.

"Wise about this, I am." She answered, doing her best impression of Yoda. This, of course, set us off on another round of giggles.

"But, you're right. I have to tell him exactly how I feel. And then I'll tell him that he needs to know exactly how he feels and when he does, we can talk about it. I really, _really_ think that he has feelings for me that are deeper than friendship, but I'm not sure. But, I'm going to put myself out there. Nothing will happen if I don't." I said with a resolution I was finally beginning to feel.

CeeCee smiled. "Exactly. You're a strong person, Suze."

Hearing her say this made me think of what I hadn't told her: my indecision about college. So I blurted out: "I have no desire to go to college, CeeCee."

For a moment I thought she was going to chew me out, but she didn't. She just stared at me contemplatively for a moment. "There's nothing wrong with that, Suze. Not everyone is cut out to go to college because they're meant to excel at something else. It doesn't mean you're stupid or lazy. In fact, some people succeed in life more than those that went to college. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know." My answer sounded slightly desperate and hysterical to my ears, but not because someone else asked me the same question. Like Jesse, she was asking because she wanted what was best for me. She wasn't going to tell me I _had_ to know right this minute what I wanted.

"It's okay, Suze. You know, even though you had stage fright and stuff before this play, you've always written good plays. Remember that one act play you wrote last semester for English because you'd finished the final? Mr. West thought it was amazing. Remember how he had a few of us kind of act it out? He sent it to the school magazine, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. But that was a school thing. I don't think I could do that for a living. I mean, I wrote most of my plays when I was under the age of ten. People felt _obligated_ to say that they were good. What if I wrote something and it was terrible. Then I wouldn't have any career or a fallback. I would have nothing."

"Suze, you can't play the what-if game your whole life. Live a little. I think you're a great playwright. Or you could be a screen-writer. Or both. You'll know, Suze, just remember that. And then, when I'm the world's most renowned anthropologist you can write a play or movie about my life." She smiled.

"You're right. Thanks for being my friend, Cee." I got up and hugged her, feeling, for the first time in a month, steady.

"Now, we have to get back to Henry VIII."

"Are you sure?' I asked, a little whiney. CeeCee's answer was just to laugh and toss the book at me.

**(000) (000) (000)**

Okay, I was now in Jesse's backyard. A few of us from the cast (mainly, our central group of people) had gotten together for a pre-show and pre-finals party. And as soon as I could get Jesse alone I was going to tell him all of my feelings, kiss him, and then leave. It was his turn to suffer a little, but also, once I kissed him I was just enough of a coward that I didn't want to stick around until I had _no_ choice but to face him again.

"Suze, he just went into the kitchen. Now's the time, I think." CeeCee nudged me and Gina smiled encouragingly. I took a deep, bracing breath and headed toward the kitchen.

"We'll give you guys some time." Gina whisper-yelled to me and I just nodded to let her know that I had heard her.

I found him in the kitchen refilling bowls of guacamole and salsa as well as whipping up some more fizzy lemonade. I took another deep breath and let it out.

"Jesse." He froze and turned to face me slowly. "I have a few things I want to say to you. But you have to _promise_ that you won't say anything until I'm done, okay?"

He nodded. "I promise, Susannah."

"Okay." I stared at him a moment to gather my thoughts for a third time. "So, I know I started all of this. It was fair for you to make the next move and let me make the next one. Well, I'm about to. And I'm not sure you're going to like the answer," I added when he started to step toward me. He paused and gestured for me to finish, "I've thought about this long and hard. I've been distracted and irritable and unsteady. But, I know this is what I have to do. I love you, Jesse de Silva. And I've loved you since tenth grade. I've tried to hide it, ignore, it, pretend it wasn't there. But that _hurt_. I ached. I couldn't not tell you any longer. It took me a long time to convince myself this was the right thing to do. And lately, you've given me hope. And so now, I'm brave enough to tell you. I'm so desperately in love with you. Everything about you draws me in. You can exasperate me and annoy me and you can make me _melt_ with just one look and say the sweetest things.

"You're a truly good person. There's no question that you are a wonderful human being. But you're also human. You have _flaws_ and I love you as much if not more because of those flaws. They make you who you are. And if you don't get it by now, I love who you are." I was breathing really fast by now and my heart was trying to beat out of my chest it was beating so hard. I knew he could hear it. Jesse had this look on his face that I couldn't quite decipher, but it gave me the courage to step forward, brace myself on his shoulders and press my lips on his.

He hummed in the back of his throat in pleasure and wrapped his arms around my waist bringing me as close as possible. I slanted my lips on his and ran my tongue along the seam. When he opened his mouth, I explored. He tasted so good. Crisp, like lemonade and tangy and tart and a little bit sweet. And beneath it all he just tasted like _Jesse_. He pulled back and placed a kiss on my forehead, then again on my lips, and then on the sensitive spot beneath my ear. I shivered and snuggled closer placing my own little kisses on his neck. I'm not sure what would have happened next if the door hadn't slammed behind us and we had jumped apart. My breath was heaving and Jesse's eyes were heavy lidded and very dark. But I turned to the intruder and was beyond humiliated to have been caught by none other than Paul Slater while heavily making out with Jesse in his own kitchen.

I cleared my throat, but my voice still came out several octaves higher than normal. "So. So, now you know, Jesse. And I'll…talk to you later. I guess. Hope. I hope. Paul, wonderful to see you. Bye now." I turned out of the kitchen and through the house to the front door. I let it slam behind me and then leaned back against it for a moment. Oh. My. God. I just had the best kiss I had ever had. Jesse de Silva had probably ruined me for any other man. And now, when I'd finally confessed my feelings, stupid Paul Slater, annoying next door neighbor and the first boy I'd ever kissed, had seen it.

But I wasn't going to let that bother me. Nope, no sir, no way. I was going to go home and _marinate_ on what a wonderful, ground-shaking kiss I had just shared with Jesse. It's official, you know, being love really can make you feel like you're floating on Cloud Nine.

**(000) (000) (000)**

**All right. It seems the procrastination bug has left me and I've been bitten by the inspiration bug instead. **

**Paul's cameo appearance will be repeated in the next chapter as he is the impetus for a certain revelation of Jesse's. But as I thought about it I just couldn't write this story without a Paul cameo somewhere.**

**Also, a comment on the college stuff. I don't want to offend anyone. In fact, I've already completed my second year at college and love it immensely! I'm **_**NOT**_** discouraging anyone from going to college. I'm just of the mind that it's up to each individual. I have friends who have not gone to college but have gone to get certified in other jobs and they are happy. I'm only stressing that people should be happy with whatever they choose to do. So, I hope I don't offend anyone. **

**Read, review, and then have fun!**


	8. Trust and Love are Powerful

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with the Mediator Series because that honor is exclusively Meg Cabot's. I also don't own anything by William Shakespeare that happens to appear in the chapters. I do, however, own the plot. Yay for me. ;)**

**WillowBee: Oh, you're so great! I love the SWEETNESS! I did four in one day; your faith in me pushed me through, lol. I have faith in you too, that you will always tell me like it is. I do believe I have become addicted to your wonderful and very lovely reviews. Please stay gaga for this story! (:**

**A/N: Another one! Don't forget to read chapters 5, 6, and 7 first! This will not make sense otherwise. Trust me. **

**This chapter is in **_**Jesse's**_** point of view. Also, this is probably the most serious of chapters and might just be the longest.**

* * *

I could have killed Paul Slater as he stood there in my kitchen _smirking_ at me with his annoyingly handsome face. I mean, sure we've had to deal with each other because in the play he's Oliver, Orlando's resentful-falls-in-love-with-a-Celia-disguised-as-a-shepherdess-and-experiences-a-change-of-heart brother. But that didn't mean I had to put up with him in my own home. Especially when he interrupted what was happening between Susannah and I. Especially when I knew he had his own "Susannah and I" experiences. And that annoyed me, but not as much as the fact that he and I had been best friends growing up. He'd changed me, in the way that only best friends can do to you. He'd changed Susannah too. Maybe it was for the better or maybe it was for the worse. All I knew was that I wanted that smarmy, asshole out of my house. But I knew Paul Slater (after all, we lied for each other as children when we'd done things we weren't supposed to do) and I knew he wouldn't leave until he'd done what _he_ wanted, but not what I wanted.

"Slater, I wish I could say it was a pleasure to see you. I've been taught to not tell lies, though, so I guess you'll have to settle with me not being falsely pleased to see you."

"You know, Jesse, you always were testy. Testy and rude. And content with my seconds and leftovers." He watched me, waiting for my reaction. The only way I had ever gotten under his, believe it or not, thin skin was to ignore the bait he laid out. In response, I only quirked an eyebrow.

There was a flash of frustration in his eyes, but he banked it and continued on as pleasantly as possible. "So. How've you been Jesse? I mean, we see each other at rehearsals and everything. If I didn't know that Clark was completely insane, I'd be insulted she gave the lead to you instead of to me who happens to be in the Drama Club."

"Fine. Is there something you wanted?" I continued with the lemonade I had been making before Susannah interrupted me. Now, staring at the can of concentrate I could remember how she had tasted as sweet as the lemonade. I wanted to go after her and instead I was stuck here with Paul.

"Not particularly. Until I walked in here and got to see that little show. Imagine if it had been your mom that walked in, she would have been shocked to see her precious Hector playing tonsil hockey with the nice girl that used to go with Paul." The sneer on his face was definitely reflected in his voice.

"Her name is Susannah." I turned to face him and leaned back against the sink. "My mother knows her name and has often called her that in the past four years that Susannah has spent time with me here and I have spent time at her house. You might have been how we were introduced, Slater, but the friendship we have has grown completely independently of you. You might have brought us together, but we have nothing to do with you anymore. We don't need you, Paul. We never have and we never will. You will continue to leave her alone as you have done all through high school. You threw her away and now she wants me and I want her. We used to be best friends, but now we're nothing to each other. I'm going to ask you nicely to leave. I'll give you to the count of ten. I'm being generous, _Paul_, so take me up on it." My hands were clenched on the counter behind me. If he took one step closer, I was pretty sure I would punch him.

"Jesse, Jesse, _Jesse_. You can dish it but you can't take it. I never wanted Suze back. I just wanted to get to you. And no matter how cool or unflappable you seem on the surface, you're not underneath."

By this time he had crowded me into the sink trying to intimidate me by getting into my personal space. If this had been us when we were thirteen I would have already pushed him away and been in a huge fight. But I wasn't thirteen anymore and I wasn't protecting an innocent girl from vicious rumors my supposed best friend had spread because she had wanted to break things off with him. Now I was just _tired_ of this stupid crap.

"Get out of my face." I said it quietly because I had heard the door from the backyard open again.

"What if I don't want to get away from you, de Silva? What if I'm sick of always being the bad guy while you get to be the stupid saint, huh?" Now he brought up the stupid argument that we'd had every so often since we had ended our friendship in the summer between eighth and ninth grade.

"Drop it, Slater. Just drop it and walk out of here and I won't be tempted to punch that pretty face of yours. Get out of my face and out of my house." And then, without any warning, I sent a short quick jab to his diaphragm. While he continued wheezing I stepped around him and flashed a quick smile at CeeCee who stood just inside the door, gaping. "Hey, Cee. Can you get the lemonade? And tell everyone I said goodnight? I've got some things I need to work through. Please, let Adam know that he can step up as host like he's been itching to do for forever."

CeeCee smiled at me, weakly at first but after she and I watched Paul worm his way out of the room she smiled much bigger. "Sure thing, Jesse. By the way, I think you and Suze are adorable together." She gave a quick salute and headed back outside and I stood for a few moments. I had a lot to think about and I had to figure out just how I was going to not just tell, but show, Susannah that I love her as much as she loves me.

* * *

I hadn't thought about eighth grade for a very long time. I think both Susannah and I had moved past it by just forgetting instead of working through what happened. At first, anyway. At the beginning of the year she had confessed to me that she had worked through it and she just hoped that I could too. After all, as she had pointed out, I was closer to him. She had just been the girlfriend but I had been his best friend.

We'd always been friends, but there had also always been that driving force of competition just underneath. Susannah had never been part of that competition. I hadn't had "feelings" for her then. In fact, I'd been slightly jealous of the fact that my best friend never wanted to spend time with me anymore. But then he had come to me and told me that he had broken it off with her. About a week later, rumors started about how Susannah Simon was just a teaser and how she was cold. They were particularly vicious for eighth grade. One day, when I was serving afterschool detention (my last one as we would be "graduating" the next week) for getting into a fight over the rumors, Susannah had been waiting for me outside the classroom in tears. It seemed that a few of the girls had ganged up on her in the bathroom and attacked her (with words only, but sometimes words cut deeper than anything ever physically could) about how she had treated poor Paul.

"Jesse? Could I talk to you for a few minutes?" Through all of her tears she had spoken both calmly and quietly.

I nodded and we started walking. I followed her and finally we ended up at her house. When we had come inside, her three brothers and stepfather had been in their family room playing a video game. They'd turned when we came in and her stepfather had turned white. Later, I learned that that was what happened when he got very angry. The boys started to ask questions when Susannah spoke up.

"I'm, well, not okay, but I will be. Jesse didn't do anything to me. He walked home with me because I was so upset. In fact, Andy…Dad, would it be okay if he came up to my room with me? We have some stuff we have to talk about. I _promise_ that it won't be anything more than that. We'll even keep the door open as long as Jake and Brad promise to not try and listen in. I know Mom told you some of what happened. Jesse's going to try and help me make it better. He's a good guy." I was really floored that she had such faith in me. Especially since I was Paul's best friend, but she knew that I would at least listen to her and that made me feel good.

Brad, of course, knew how close Paul and I were and had often been on the other ends of some of Paul's particularly mean tricks. And I hadn't done anything to really stop it from happening. "Why? He's Paul's little buddy and he has nothing to get from helping you Suze. I can help you more than he can."

Susannah tried to smile, but it was a little pathetic. "Thanks Brad. But actually, Jesse will help me. Won't you?" She turned to me and whatever I recognized at thirteen made me nod and never look away from her. Andy looked between us for a moment and then nodded, a little reluctantly.

"I guess your mom can kill me later if it was wrong of me, but do keep the door open, Suze. I've still got to whoop these guys so I'll keep them down here. No more than two hours, because that's when your mom will get home and then she can decide what to do next.

Susannah nodded and took my hand to lead me up the stairs past the dog slumbering on the landing. She turned into the room that looked rather girlish and had a window seat that she continued toward. She dropped her stuff on the floor and grabbed a pillow to hold on to while we talked. I gingerly sat next to her, a little uncomfortable to be in a girl's room.

"So…" I had absolutely no idea what to say. And now that I had said something for the first time since she had come to find me, the tears started falling again.

"It's lies, Jesse. I broke it off with Paul. He wasn't pressuring me, that wouldn't be what his kind does. But he wasn't nice. He wasn't physical, he just was…" she drew a shuddering breath, "mean. Very, very _mean_. In a covert, underhanded way. He was just not who I wanted to be with. He talked about you a lot. Always like he was jealous or something and I was just a trophy because he had me and you didn't have anyone. Then when I broke it off, he started the rumors. They're just rumors, but they're horrible, petty, and…well, mean. And then those girls today, they just pushed me over the edge. It's bullying, Jesse. And I thought I could ignore it, but I can't."

She looked at me and there was something in her eyes, again, that drew me in. "I'm trusting you to help me. Please, Jesse, I need you to help me." She gave an inelegant sniff and swiped her hand under her nose with a tissue she pulled out of the box next to her. "Please." She whispered one last time.

And something in me shifted. I had always known that Paul was not an inherently good person and could be vindictive. I couldn't—wouldn't—be his friend anymore. I was now Susannah's friend; she trusted me to fix this and she didn't trust anyone else. It was a fragile trust and a bond that I had with no other person. So I said the only thing I could. "I will, Susannah."

Now she actually began weeping (in relief, she later told me) and threw her arms around me. I wasn't entirely sure what to do so I just put my arms around her shoulders and said little comforting things every so often. I saw movement in the door and looked to see both her mother and stepfather standing there smiling. They gave me "thumbs up" and headed back downstairs.

I stayed for dinner that night. Susannah and I cemented our friendship. And the next day I confronted Paul. It turned into quite an ugly fight. He spewed out all of his latent feelings about me: jealousy, anger, and even sometimes hate. I told him that I had gone to the principal and they knew it was him. I told him that he wasn't who I thought he was and that I could never be his friend again because he was someone I didn't know. I walked away with a split lip, black eye, and dislocated shoulder. He walked away with a bruised rib or two, a broken wrist and an expertly timed blow to his solar plexus.

As I sat in my bedroom now, looking back, I realized just how much Susannah and I had been through together. We had a deeper bond than just friendship from the beginning and I had to be extremely careful to never damage that bond. Because, the truth was, if I wasn't careful, I would lose so much it would be unbearable. I had to be very, very careful with what I did next.

* * *

The opening night of the play came on the heels of our last final. So, I was free while I was still trapped. The play would then run the whole next week and closing night would be the evening before graduation. That morning I had gone over to the Susannah's house while she had been out with CeeCee and Gina (artlessly planned by me beforehand, of course) where Brad, Jake, David and I set up a small little fairyland in her room. That night, I would bring her back here while her family went out to dinner with the others. Of course, I'd had to confess everything to her parents while Jake, Brad and David eavesdropped outside the door. It had been both embarrassing and freeing. But now, I could show Susannah just how much she meant to me.

Now, though, I had to concentrate on the play. I didn't want to jinx anything, but I felt that the fact that Susannah and I were genuinely in love would make all the difference in our performances, but it definitely would tonight.

From the moment the curtain went up, everything ran smoothly. Every time I saw Paul try to covertly massage his stomach I laughed inside. CeeCee had obviously told almost all the rest of the cast about the kitchen altercation because we all seemed to be a little too happy when, at intermission, he asked for some ice. It had been almost a week since I'd punched him, but it had been a hard punch and he was just a wimp. The second half made me a little more nervous as what was going to happen afterwards grew nearer. At times, I could feel Susannah's questioning glances toward me, but whenever I could I just smiled at her reassuringly. By the time we hit the last Act (with the exception of the epilogue) I was pumped and so was just about everyone else.

Finally, I was aware of Susannah—Rosalind—promise to make all events even and get us all squared away to our respective partners. And when, it was time for the line I'd been waiting for all night I took a moment to take it all in. Rosalind and Orlando were in center stage, more downstage than the others. I looked at Susannah and, for a moment, I let everything I felt for her show on my face. I struggled not to break character when there was the collective heartfelt "aww" from the audience.

" 'If there be truth in sight, you are my Rosalind.'(1)" And I saw the answering emotion in Susannah's face (as did the audience and, again, there was a resounding chorus of "aww").

Then, it was time for Rosalind's little speech at the end. Ms. Clark had made a last minute decision to postpone our kiss until afterward with an added ad-libbed line and had also decided to have the full cast on stage through Rosalind's speech. I watched Susannah square her shoulders as she once again became Rosalind—most likely the most stunning Rosalind I have ever or will ever see. Her simple white dress sparkled in the stage lights and her face glowed with a happiness that can only come from a sense of true accomplishment and unadulterated pleasure in that accomplishment.

" 'I charge you, O women, for the love you bear to men, to like as much of this play as please you: and I charge you, O men, for the love you bear to women;—as I perceive by your simpering, none of you hates them,—that between you and the women the play may please. If I were a woman, I would kiss as many of you as had beards that pleased me, complexions that liked me, and breaths that I defied not; and, I am sure, as many as have good beards, or good faces, or sweet breaths, will, for my kind offer, when I make curtsy, bid me farewell.'(2)"

The audience began clapping even before she turned to me. "Now, my Orlando, let us retreat back to the happiness we have found together" (3). She held out her hand and I took it. Then, while still keeping our faces cheated toward the audience, I kissed her exactly as I did that time backstage. And when the curtain fell, the applause was simply thunderous.

While we lined up for the bow before the curtain lifted, I placed my lips against her ear and whispered, "Tonight, I have something _very_ important to tell you, Susannah." She nodded just as the curtain came up for the first curtain call and I could see that she was blushing.

* * *

We had seven curtain calls. It was definitely more than any of us had expected, especially since the audience had been such an eclectic mix of ages and genders. Ms. Clark had small bouquets for each of us that the floral horticulture class had put together as their final. She stopped and whispered something to Susannah that made her start to shake her head and then stop. Whatever she said back had Ms. Clark grinning like a cat that had the cream _and_ the canary. She came over to me and she complimented me on my performance. I thanked her a little absently and she hugged me. As I was turning away to find Susannah, she placed her hand on my arm to hold me there for a moment. "Jesse, let's try and see if that little extra bit you added in Act 5 can be done every night, shall we?" I looked at her and all she did was wink and walk away. Yes, Ms. Clark was a pretty awesome teacher.

Finally, I was able to find Susannah, her family, and the others standing in a little circle near the front row.

Adam turned, saw me, and grinned like the Cheshire Cat. "Hey Jesse, hurry up. You've got somewhere important to be, you know."

"Yeah, I know." I grinned and almost everyone else did too.

Susannah turned to me and she looked a little disappointed, but she was doing her best to not show it. No doubt, she remembered what I had said earlier. "Oh. You're not coming to dinner with all of us?"

"Actually, Susannah, I was wondering if you might want to come have dinner with me tonight. Just the two of us." She looked at me for a moment and then at her parents.

"Would you guys mind?"

Andy grinned. "Nah, that's why we made the reservation for two less than we usually do."

Susannah had no idea what to say to this so I just took her hand and started to lead her away from the group. Andy, of course, had one last thing to say. "Curfew's one a.m., kid, so don't forget." I just turned back and smiled.

* * *

When we pulled up in front of her house, Susannah just turned and looked at me. "All right, de Silva, what are you up to?"

I just grinned as she got out of the car and led her up to the front door, unlocked it, closed it behind us, and then continued to pull her up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Jesse! Come on, what are you doing?"

"I have a surprise for you, Miss Simon. Now just stand her a minute. Cover up your eyes and _no_ peeking. Okay?"

"Okay."

I opened the door and then pulled her into her room gently. "All right. You can open them now, Susannah."

When she did, I had the pleasure of seeing her speechless (a rather rare occurrence). "Oh my. You did all of this…for _me_?"

"Yes." The boys could get their due later, for now, tonight was just for the two of us. Her room sparkled with clear and multi-colored lights and little reflective crystals hung from the ceiling. The window seat was decked out in blue and silver and on it sat a small jewelry box.

"Jesse…" she trailed off when I sat her down on the window seat and kneeled in front of her. For the first time all night, I was nervous. And I had forgotten completely what I was going to say.

"Don't worry, Susannah, I'm not going to propose." Yet, I added silently. "But I do have something to say to you. I have so much I want to say, but I just don't know what. I…everything just sounds so stupid when I think about how eloquent you were in my kitchen. So…well, I just…can't keep my eyes off of you. Ever. I don't just mean right now, but always. I can't look away from you. I even see you when I close my eyes at night or when I wake up in the morning. And, god that sounds really weird…" I stopped for a moment and just looked at her. Our gazes locked and I knew what to say next, "Four years ago, almost to the day, you walked me to your house, told your family I was going to help you, brought me up here and then said you trusted me. I'd never had anyone ask me to trust them or ever actively decided to trust someone else.

"But with you, Susannah, it was different. I told you I did trust you and then, I think, you trusted me too. It was a naïve type of trust, but no less strong because of that. Probably, our naïveté made it a lot stronger than it would be if you asked me the same question now. We were…innocent. And now, we're adults. Or, well, almost adults. And the other night, you deepened that trust we've developed. And I can't tell you how relieved I was for you to want to deepen it. Because that's what I want too. I want you to trust me every day for the rest of our lives so that that trust we have becomes invincible.

"I love you so very much, Susannah Simon. My life wouldn't be the same life without you as part of it. And, god, sometimes you make me angry or upset, but you make me laugh and you help me to be happy. I mean, I'm a fairly happy person. But you just make it so much better. Like you told me, you have flaws. But they make you the strong person you are today. Just like mine make me who I am. And I don't think anything could make me more…happy isn't even a strong enough word…exultant than if the people we are can make ourselves into a strong, cheerful 'us.' And yeah, that us is going to be flawed. But we can make it work. And I really want to make it work. With you. I love you. It's just that simple."

While she sat staring at me, I picked up the box and opened it to reveal a necklace with a small crystal dove with a golden harp in its beak (4). When she beamed at me and nodded, I took out the necklace and clasped it around her neck. I had barely pulled back when she tackled me to the floor and latched her lips onto mine. Just as quickly she pulled back.

"Jesse. I have a feeling we're going to be ecstatic together. And probably miserable too, but mostly ecstatic. I love you." And with that I pulled her back to me.

The kiss was more than it had ever been before. It had a slightly desperate edge to it, but that was probably because we were simply giddy; giddy with relief and contentment. This time, I took the kiss to the next level and enjoyed the little power play until I conquered her mouth. _Home_. That was my one and only thought. She tasted like Susannah and home. And then I rolled her over and deepened the kiss even more. Then I felt her put her hand over my heart and use her finger to trace a word. M. I. N. E. When I realized what she spelled, I grinned into the kiss.

I pulled away for a moment to just look at her. "You're mine too."

"I know." It was said quietly and very simply. Then I leaned down and kissed her again.

And that was just the beginning to the one of the most magical nights I had ever experienced.

* * *

**I'm wiped. There is only one more chapter to go and then the epilogue. Posting of those will have to wait until tomorrow. WillowBee, it's 11:10 on May 20, 2011 so I did it! Thanks for giving me the push I needed. Also, my love song medley playlist helped too, lol. **

**I hope you all enjoy this. I had thought about cutting it in half and making it a two part chapter but that just about broke **_**my**_** heart and I couldn't find a good place to make the split. The actual story is about 4,300 words according to Microsoft Word…wow. The rest of the story will probably not be this long but they'll be longer than the other chapters. So now, a few notes:**

**(1) Act 5, Scene 4 right after Rosalind reveals her true identity to Orlando and the Duke. **

**(2) The second half of the epilogue speech.**

**(3) My acting teacher added this line when we did this scene since all of us 13 year old girls were so into **_**love**_**, lol. But, Shakespeare has no copyright anymore so we didn't break any rules. ;)**

**(4) First, the dove symbolizes the purity and trust of love (and has since the biblical times). A harp symbolizes the bridge of love or, sometimes, the ladder to the deepest love there is. King David played a harp to show his devotion to God. **

**So there you have it. The rest will probably be up by tomorrow afternoon. Hugs and…minty fudge cookies? Well. Read, review, and then have fun! Pretty please. **


	9. Fact is that Life Happens

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with the Mediator Series because that honor is exclusively Meg Cabot's. I also don't own anything by William Shakespeare that happens to appear in the chapters. I do, however, own the plot. Yay for me. ;)**

**A special, heartfelt thanks to—**

**lovelikewoe13: I'm so happy that you love it and can't wait for more. Here is more! (:**

**jediahsokaroxx: Yes, what Paul did to Suze was really messed up. I actually experienced something like that with one of my friends when we were in middle school. So I put that in there to tell people that bullying should not be tolerated and because it created some deeper character development (I hope). But on a much happier note, I'm glad you found the chapter to be sweet! I had hoped it would be. (: **

**WillowBee: Just saying, when your review shows up in my inbox it totally makes my day. Yes, Paul is evil and his character does make an awesome story even awesomer, lol. Thanks for saying I'm a good writer—it really makes me feel great and I'm just so thrilled that you love this story so much (as much as I do!). I'm not sure I will do a sequel…I plan on having the epilogue be a nice closure for me and, I hope, for my readers too. But that doesn't mean I'm done with Mediator (Jesse/Suze) but a new story for them might not be for a little while –shameless plug- as my next story is one for Harry Potter focusing on the NextGen. **

**A/N: This chapter is from **_**Suze's**_** point of view. I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Getting ready to graduate high school is a lot like taking off the training wheels on your bike. Or, breaking a habit you had been doing for twelve long (and often annoying or even thankless) years. At least, it was for me. The morning of graduation dawned bright and happy (good thing too, seeing as graduation was going to be outside…joy) and breezy. I'd take breezy over hot any day so that was one thing, so far, that seemed to be going right. I didn't want to get out of bed and, I mean, it wasn't like I had to yet. Graduation started at two and we had to be there by one. So I had time to kind of bask in this in-between time before I shed the last responsibility of childhood (or teen-hood as Gina, Cee, and I had taken to calling our lovely high school years) for the new responsibilities of adulthood. And, truthfully, I wasn't as scared of growing up as I had been two or three weeks ago. Don't get me wrong, I was still wary of what was going to happen next. But I had found my silver lining on the whole alternative to college for me. So far, only Mom and Andy (sorry…Dad) knew besides Ms. Clark and that was fine.

My life was pretty great, lately. I mean, in the last week Jesse and I had made up for the years we had missed being together. We weren't attached at the hip or anything and we were perfectly capable of _existing_ without the other, but we had spent time with each other as a couple. That ridiculously ecstatic and miserable couple I had predicted we would be. We'd had a few small, I'll call them spats, but we also would kiss and make up and let me tell you: having a spat with your _boyfriend_ is very different from having a spat with your _friend_ because the kissing and making up part was totally worth the whole thing to begin with. Our friends and families recognized us as a couple. We weren't just Jesse and Suze, we were Jesse-and-Suze or Suze-and-Jesse. It was kind of like, to me, that this had been meant to happen and the world was just waiting for us to catch up with it.

Finally, I decided to get up and take my time with my shower and getting ready. Last night had been the perfect way to end our show. The house had been as packed as it had opening night and we had received another standing ovation and our curtain calls had actually reached the double digits (and by that, I mean, we had ten). And Ms. Clark had given me a name and phone number along with the little chocolate cookies she had baked us all. So, when I got home last night, I went through my files of the plays I had written and put them into a nice portfolio that I would be mailing Monday to a Mister Rutherford Cantrell in Manhattan. Rutherford Cantrell just happened to be Ms. Clark's (call me Desdemona now, Suze, because I'm no longer your teacher but your contemporary and colleague) love interest—her _exact_ words—back in their yester years. Obviously "Ruthy," as everyone who's fond of him calls him, was interested in the one act play that I had in the school magazine last year. Ms. Clark told him all about me last summer but she finally told me last week about it and now he wants to see my portfolio. Hence the creation of a pretty awesome looking one last night. I was totally going to send it and then hope and pray that the New York playwright would be my mentor and help me down the road to becoming a playwright slash screenwriter.

I hadn't told Jesse yet because we hadn't even brought up the future at all this past week. My plan was to tell him today at the joint graduation party that all of our parents were throwing us. After all, I didn't want him to change his plans for me and I didn't really want to change my plans for him. A small part of me thought I would throw it all away and follow him wherever he went (if he didn't end up at Columbia) but I also knew that ours was a relationship that was going to survive no matter what. So, now I just had to go graduate so that the looming specter of the future would be laid out before me.

* * *

The six of us (Brad, Gina, CeeCee, Adam, Jesse, and I) all drove together to the stadium where our graduation was being held. We laughed and joked and reminisced but I wasn't the only one who was nervous about what our "next step" was going to be. CeeCee and Adam had already made plans to rent a small apartment near the UCLA campus and were going down next week to check it out. Brad and Gina had surprised all of us (and I do mean, _surprised_) when they officially became a couple this past Wednesday. I was really just a little grossed out because I knew all of Brad's habits and had no idea whatsoever how Gina was going to put up with them. But, anyway. Gina had been accepted to UT Austin (pre-law) and so had Brad (although I had no idea or really interest in—even though he's my stepbrother and I love him—what he was majoring in as I didn't think UT Austin offered a Bachelor's in goofing off) and they were going down in August together as they both planned to live in the dorms. None of us had asked Jesse his plans because he had been so stressed out lately that he snapped anytime anyone brought up college. Today, we found out that was because he had been writing and revising his valedictorian speech (he'd kept the whole thing secret until he'd showed us his silver gown with his gold cord today). CeeCee, being in the top ten percent of our class, also had a pretty silver down while the rest of us were stuck with a rather dull gold one. But what counted was that we were all together.

"Earth to Suze!" I blinked when Adam waved his hand in front of my face. "We're here."

"Oh, sorry. I spaced."

A chorus of "We know" answered me.

"Hey! I'm not that bad." I mean, I wasn't that bad. Was I?

"Well, not really." Adam said. "But lately you've been pretty spacey. We'd all thought it was just because you were having a harder time controlling you burning desire for Jesse but now you two can burn it off together so I have no idea why you're still spacing out."

I just looked at him for a moment and then did what Jesse always does when he doesn't want to answer. I quirked my brow.

And with that the subject was dropped and we all headed down to where we had to congregate. Jesse hung back from the others a little and waited for me to catch up. I smiled as he settled his arm around my waist and mine settled around his.

"So, another big step for us." He looked a little distant, like he was thinking about something else for a bit.

"It is. It's scary and exciting. But you're prepared and so am I."

This intrigued him as I hadn't given any hints to what my plans were. "Really? And what are you prepared for?"

I stopped and looked at him. "Life."

When he laughed I felt shivers down my spine. I had a feeling I was never going to get used to the fact that I can make him laugh and that, when he does, it can make me melt.

"Sure, sure. Laugh away. But I'll be prepared for anything. I mean, life isn't a multiple choice test. There aren't two _possible_ answers with one being the _best_. It's not a test at all. It's kind of like a game of roulette. But, anyway, I should stop philosophizing. Because I think it might be time to line up." I looked up at Jesse and saw him watching me with a sexy little half smile on his face.

"_Querida_, you're possibly one of the most sensible people I know. I love you." And then, before I could say I love you too, he leaned down and kissed me. It was tastefully PG with maybe a little tinge of PG-13 if the wolf whistles around us were any indication. But I didn't really care because when Jesse kissed me, it was like the whole world dropped away and it was just the two of us. And this kiss in particular left me feeling all shimmery and contented. "I'll see you after this is all over. I love you, Susannah."

"I love you too, Jesse." I smiled as I watched him head toward the front of the procession.

"Oh, Suze, I swear you two are like some Lifetime Movie of the Week. It makes me so happy." Gina gave me a bone crushing squeeze and went to take her place in line.

While we were taken through the motions of walking in with "Pomp and Circumstance" playing and sitting down and listening to the principal talk about high school and our future I felt a little surreal. Like I was going to wake up and only be seven years old and this would have just been a really weird dream. But it wasn't. It was very real. I spaced for most of the ceremony until it was time for Jesse to give his speech.

He cleared his throat. "I'm not going to stand up here and give a really long speech since we all know what this is about. It's graduation. It's a fact of life. It happens. But the most important thing is what we all have come away with from high school. Strong friendships," I watched him track his eyes as he looked at each one in our little group, "strong relationships," here his eyes locked with mine, "and an understanding that we are who we make ourselves. So even if we all separate and go our own ways we'll still have each other. It doesn't matter if we end up in New York City, Austin, or Los Angeles because we're all still a part of each other's lives. And so, we come away with a sense of having touched each other's lives in an irrevocable way. In a good way, sure. Sometimes though it probably didn't feel like a good way when it happened," and here I knew that he was talking about Paul just as Paul knew he was talking about him if the short, pithy glance the two shared was any indication, "but it probably can seem that way now. All in all, we know that now we get to face the real world. And it won't be one in which there'll be an adult around to tell us when we screw up. Because now, we're supposed to know when we screw up and how to fix it. That's what being grown up is about, really, making mistakes and having to fix them and then learning and growing from that experience. So, for the past twelve years or longer, we've had people holding our hands. It's time to let go of those hands and make our place in the world. Congratulations to all of us."

Jesse finally smiled when we all clapped. It was pretty enthusiastic applause too since I was sure most everyone had kind of stopped listening before he started speaking, like I had, but we all paid attention to him.

And then it was time to walk across the stage and receive our diplomas. I did the politely interested applause and saved the genuine stuff for my friends. Then it was time for us to put our tassels over the other side of our hats and file back out in an orderly fashion as high school graduates.

* * *

The joint party the parents threw us all was actually really great. It was in the backyards of CeeCee and Gina's houses (seeing as they had been next door neighbors their entire lives) where there was some type of collapsible wall between them so that we had plenty of room to spread out. We had all broken off into our little cliques and were really having a very good time. I was standing with Gina and CeeCee off in a little corner and we were just enjoying our time. The conversation was casual because we only spoke when we really needed to talk. Otherwise we communicated with hand gestures and looks on our faces. We were drinking fizzy lemonade which now always reminded me of Jesse. It would probably become _our_ drink.

"You know what's weird?" I asked suddenly. Both of them turned to me questioningly so I continued, "It's kind of like all of us paired off. Like we were getting on Noah's Ark or something."

And since both of them were fairly in tune with the way my mind worked they figured out where I was going with this whole thing.

"We did." CeeCee agreed.

Gina nodded. "And we're all going off to college or life together in little off-shoots of our original group. So, does that mean what I think it means, Suze? Are you and Jesse going to New York? Because my mom said something to your mom who told her something, but then my mom told me she couldn't tell me what that something was until you told me your secret. Which obviously involved this something."

Strangely enough, I had followed every bit of that conversation. "Well, it probably does mean something, but it's something I need to talk to Jesse about first."

"Okay. But then you'll tell us?" Cee asked.

I smiled and nodded and then headed in the direction I knew Jesse was. I found him with Adam and his dad. At first, I didn't really want to interrupt, but then I knew that I couldn't really wait any longer. I _needed_ to talk to him. "Hey Jesse. Can I talk to you for a bit? Alone."

And when he looked over at me his face just softened as if to say: _there she is_. He nodded, said something to his dad and Adam and then took my hand and led me over to the little swing set that was still in CeeCee's backyard. We both sat on the sturdy swings but our hands were still entwined. There was something very comforting about sitting on a childhood toy and talking about our adult life.

"Is this about what I said in my speech? New York?" He didn't sound worried, but he also didn't sound relaxed and I wondered why when that obviously meant he'd been accepted to Columbia which just happened to be his dream school. "I hadn't told you yet, Susannah, because I didn't want to pressure you. I know that you're not sure what you want to do about your life and I didn't want to force you to choose something because I chose something. But, I've been accepted into Columbia and I've decided to go there. And I really want you to come to New York with me. I mean, that's where you were born and you'd know everything and I'm so in love with you that I don't want to leave you. But if I conceded my dreams for you eventually we could start to hate each other. So, there's compromise. I believe that we can make long distance work if we have to. I love you and I know I'll still love you thirty years from now, _querida_, and I want that chance." When he looked at me, his face was carefully blank, but I knew him well enough to see the hope in his eyes.

So, grinning all the while, I told him about Ms. Clark—Desdemona—and Mister Rutherford Cantrell whose little playhouse happens to only be a few blocks from the Columbia campus. I also told him how my mom hadn't sold our rent controlled two bedroom apartment but had kept it because real estate was a smart investment. And then I told him how I hadn't said anything yet because I wanted to go with him but not at the cost of losing me. And how I wanted this for me, but also for us but mostly just for me with a little bit for us definitely a deciding factor. And when I finished explaining I swear his grin was as big as mine if not bigger.

"I guess this means that you want that thirty year from now chance too?" I nodded. "You know what this means, don't you?" He continued with a playful yet serious glint in his eyes.

"What does it mean?"

"It means you're going to marry me eventually." Now he was practically beaming.

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess it does mean I'm going to marry you eventually. Say, ten years or so from now?"

"Perfect." With that he leaned down and kissed me giving me the impression that he would be doing the same thing with me ten, twenty, thirty years down the road and beyond.

And while the whole world didn't disappear, it was pretty close.

* * *

**The End. Well, almost. The epilogue is still to come. I hope you all loved it. I myself was practically melting by the end there. I would like my own Jesse de Silva right now but alas, that probably won't happen. **

**On another note, I just want to say that I'm thrilled with the response this story has received. It has gone beyond my wildest expectations. You all are very wonderful!**

**See you in the epilogue! ;)**


	10. Blissful Existence

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with the Mediator Series because that honor is exclusively Meg Cabot's. I also don't own anything by William Shakespeare that happens to appear in the chapters. I also do not own or have any affiliation to the places mentioned in NYC; I've only ever been to a few of them. I do, however, own the plot. Yay for me. ;)**

**I would like to take the time to thank all of you have reviewed, alerted, and favorite-d this story:**

**lovelikewoe13, dori-tori, angel4eva-15, Iced tears, NegligibleNaina, B e l l a t r i x. o x. (I spaced it so it would show), IsobelleBaby, jediahsokaroxx, Living On a Snowflake's Dream, Iruchi-chan, vampireobsessor, MaryImaginary, kimmi0490, crazybeautifuldisaster, JesseLoverLeona (aka Weasleygirl1993), Jack Sparrow's my man, twilight charmer, iceQueen02, Maddzatazz, SparklyVamp, MarcyPlayground, NCISlover16, Kiefercarlos, MelodyontheWater, Miami Blackheart, Rudy555, procrastinator, indie-girl124, xoxdreamrrxox, and bookworm3. **

**Also, a hug and thank you to WillowBee for being such an awesome source of inspiration, cheering section and pusher! I dedicate this epilogue to you and hope you'll be happy with my surprise at the very end.**

**Thank you also to those who have read but maybe didn't let me know through favorites, alerts or reviews. You mean a lot to me, too!**

**You all are a bunch of truly wonderful people. I hope this epilogue is everything you could have hoped for and that I don't disappoint. **

**A/N: This epilogue is in **_**Jesse's**_** point of view. Read, review, and then have fun!**

* * *

TWELVE YEARS LATER

I finally finished my shift at New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital where I was getting ready to finish my last year of residency. As it was raining I was thrilled to find a cab with relatively little trouble and ducked in while giving the cabbie the address of my brownstone near Central Park. Being the ripe old age of thirty (ha ha) I didn't really enjoy the novelty of the subway like I used to when Susannah and I had first moved to New York. We had spent almost every weekend the first year we lived here exploring New York City. And by that, I mean Susannah showed me around and, as we slowly met new people, we began having little outings with our friends.

Susannah had fit right in with Rutherford (or Ruthy, as we now called him) Cantrell and he had immediately helped her adapt her one act children's plays into a full-length play that debuted at New York Public Library's Children's Center at 42nd street in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. It actually had garnered national attention. Ruthy then demanded (in a nice way, he said) that Suze write another full-length children's play that he would (and did) produce at his playhouse. That was the beginning of a very wonderful and lucrative partnership. Susannah was approached to write the screenplay for a children's movie (which she did an extraordinary job on, in my opinion, but I've been told that she can't treat me as an objective observer) and then she began writing a play called _A Girl, A Boy, and Their Life Together_. It had taken her about three years to write the play to her specifications—and she had quite a few since it was based on our story—and it had become an international phenomenon. Two years ago, it had been adapted into a movie for which Susannah adapted the script. Currently, she was writing two plays simultaneously and was doing amazingly well. Suze Simon, playwright and screenwriter has become a household name.

Meanwhile I had graduated _summa cum-laude_ from Columbia University with a dual degree in Child Development and Communication Disorders. I had then gone on to Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons for medical school. I had graduated with honors and started my internship at New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. I was content with what I did and was also somewhat relieved that while I had been establishing myself, Susannah and I had a concrete foundation (we both had worked upon coming to New York—I had been a part time tutor at an after-school center and Susannah had worked full time as Ruthy's administrative assistant) and we were _extremely_ lucky to not have too many financial worries since I had a full scholarship for all of my schooling.

Since I had already pseudo-proposed to Susannah when we had graduated high school, on Christmas morning of my last year of med school, I had left a simple emerald-cut diamond engagement ring with a gold band in her stocking. When she had put it on I had been getting us wassail out of the kitchen and when I came back out she just showed me her hand and then kissed me. It was simple and one of the happiest moments of my life. We had gotten married at the end of June after I graduated from med school—that had been four years ago last month. We had gone on a simple two week honeymoon to Austria (Susannah's choice) that I had been saving for since my second year of college. That had definitely been the happiest time of my life. Or, it had been until seven months ago.

I was oblivious to being stuck at a stand-still in the traffic as I was caught up in reminiscing. Susannah had been sick and lethargic for about four days. I had kept pressing her to go to the doctor as had Rutherford and her best friend Madison White (a librarian at the New York Public Library Mid-Manhattan branch). But Susannah was adamant that she was fine and didn't have time to go to the doctor because we were expecting CeeCee, Adam and their two year old son Keith (who was a holy terror). Finally, I made an appointment for her with Gabby Lawson who was her general practitioner. Gabby and her husband Kane (my general practitioner) had grown very close to us—they had become our parental figures as they were about ten years older than we were and had taken us under their wing when we had first moved out here. I had been distracted that whole day at work and had been wavering about whether to cancel my after work drink with Morris Richardson, my best friend. Morris and I had just ordered when I received a call from Susannah.

"Hello, _querida_."

"Jesse." I could hear the excitement in her voice.

"How was the doctor? Did Gabby say everything was okay?"

"Yeah, she did. But Jesse, I think you should come home now. I know you're out with Morris, but I really, _really_ need to talk to you."

Something must have shown on my face because Morris had already put down the money for our untouched drinks and was leading my by the shoulder out of the bar. "I'll be right there, Susannah."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll be there soon." I turned to Morris who was in the process of hailing a cab. "She went to the doctor today. But she didn't sound scared or upset, she sounded happy."

Morris opened the cab door and turned to grin at me. "Dude, you must be panicked or just plain stupid. After the symptoms you told me, I have a feeling it's going to _great_ news. And I'm not even a doctor."

It took me minute, but when I figured it out a huge grin broke out on my face. "I'll call you tomorrow." I told him as the cab drove away. When I got home I found Susannah sipping milk out of champagne glass and another one sitting on the counter.

When she saw me, a sly little grin broke out on her face. "So, Dr. de Silva. I bet you can't figure out what I'm going to tell you."

"Is that a challenge?" She nodded. "Well, I'll win. We're going to have a baby aren't we?" She nodded and let out a shriek of laughter when I scooped her up and twirled her around the apartment.

When the McTavish family showed up the next day we all went (including Gabby and Kane, Madison, Morris, and Ruthy) to L&B Spumoni Gardens (they had the best pizza!) in Brooklyn to celebrate.

When I heard the cabbie say something particularly nasty, I became aware of my surroundings and realized that we were stuck in traffic again, but this time we were only a couple blocks from home. I told him I was getting out here, paid the fare, and continued on foot to the brownstone. When I went in the door, I wasn't particularly surprised to find the six foot five, 275 pound hippie bulk of Rutherford Cantrell on the couch next to my hugely pregnant wife. In fact, he had confided to me that he came over most days because he knew Susannah got lonely and I hated leaving her by herself. I was, however, floored to find Gina Ackerman-now-Delaroche in my living room. We hadn't seen much of her since she and Brad had divorced seven years ago after their two year marriage. Gina was a high-powered corporate attorney in Dallas while Brad had moved back home and married Serena Clark (Ms. Clark's niece). Serena taught theater and Brad taught world geography and coached volleyball. They had twins, Derrick and Evan who were about to enter first grade. Gina's second husband, Hilton Delaroche the Fifth came out of the kitchen with a tray that had three cocktails and a small glass of water. While I couldn't really stand him, he at least was considerate enough to not make my wife make the cocktails or to make her one.

When I let the door click shut behind me, Susannah looked over and her whole face lit up. Her face might have been puffy and her hair had been pulled back haphazardly, but I couldn't think of anything more beautiful than the way she looked right at that moment.

"Jesse. I'm so glad you're home." She slowly pushed herself off the couch, with a little help from Ruthy, and waddled over to me.

"_Querida_, I trust you've been behaving today?" I smiled at her and reached out to rub the purple shadows under her eyes.

"I've done my best, but Rutherford and I have been having trouble with this one particularly stubborn scene. So I didn't get a nap and he didn't get his whiskey. And now, Gina and Hilton have stopped by since they were in town." She wiggled her eyebrows at me and I laughed softly.

"Well, I guess you still get a kiss." I brushed her lips softly three times and then pressed them firmly for a few moments—a tradition we had started when I came home from my first class on my first day at Columbia.

"Aww, you guys are still as cute as you used to be. It makes me jealous." Gina grinned at us from her chair, although I could detect an underlying edge of sarcasm underneath her tone. I just grinned back, unsure how to exactly interact with this new version of Gina I wasn't comfortable with.

"Hey Gina. Hilton. It's nice to see you both. Rutherford, how are you?" I grinned at him. If I couldn't stand Hilton, then Rutherford hated him. He'd called him a pretentious prick too many times to count and was barely civil to Hilton in public.

"I'm just dandy, Hector. Just dandy." The twinkle in his eyes made it really hard to not laugh out loud.

I led Susannah back over to the couch and helped her sit down. I settle down on the floor in front of the couch so I could be nearby in case she needed something.

"What brings you to Manhattan, Gina?" I asked. Hilton answered with some monologue I barely paid attention to and just nodded at the appropriate places. Thus began two hours of conversation that I only desultorily added to and couldn't wait to be done with. Finally, Rutherford said something and the three of them left.

"Oh thank god they're gone. I'm _so_ ready to go to bed. I'm exhausted." Susannah smiled down at me and I reached down and levered her up off the couch.

"You're not hungry?"

"Ruthy and I had meatball sandwiches about twenty minutes before Gina and Hilton showed up and they were only here about thirty minutes before you. I know you ate something at the hospital." She grinned as I helped her pull her nightshirt over her head.

"I ate something. I'm much happier not knowing exactly what it was." I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth and then changed into my pajamas while Susannah did her nightly ritual. When she came back out, we took about thirty minutes to get her situated comfortably and by the time I laid down, she was asleep.

I had never been more content than I had been lately. I was deeply in love with my wife, and I was going well in my career. And in a little less than two months, we would be a happy family of three. I personally was hoping for a girl. I even had the name picked out: Rae Emalia de Silva. If it was a boy, I had no idea. But I really wanted a girl.

When I finally heard a snore from Susannah, I knew she was deeply asleep and so I closed my eyes and relaxed. Twelve years ago, I had imagined this life we would have. But, I'd been ridiculously shortsighted. The live we lived now was beyond my wildest expectations and happiest dreams—it was bliss.

* * *

**The End. **

**But not for long! I know I had said that I wouldn't do a sequel. But when I went back over this epilogue it was ridiculously long for many reasons:**

**1. I couldn't leave the characters without crying.**

**2. I loved the direction their lives had taken and the new people they had met and their new relationships.**

**3. I wanted to give them more than a blissful existence—I wanted it to be a **_**real**_** existence. **

**4. I just was not ready for this story to end yet and the epilogue was almost thirty pages long.**

**And so, there will be a sequel. It will be short (only five chapters) and it will only be published after my next story **_**The Way We Were**_** (a Harry Potter NextGen fic that is the first part of a three part series). The sequel with be entitled: **_**The Pediatrician and the Playwright**_** and will pick up two years after the epilogue of this story.**

**I really hope you loved this story and will want to read the sequel. You'll have to put me on Author Alert (God, I'm shameless when it comes to attention) so that you'll know when the sequel comes out. **

**You all are such wonderful people and I hate to wish you **_**adieu**_** so instead I will say **_**À bientot**_**! Good night and good luck! Go have some yummy cookies and keep on the lookout. Until next time. **


End file.
